


Sinful

by night_kaze



Series: Deal with the Devil [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amnesia, Angst, Britania Angel, Dark Magic, Devil! America, M/M, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Sweet Devil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-21
Updated: 2013-11-06
Packaged: 2017-11-12 14:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/night_kaze/pseuds/night_kaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not unusual for an angel to encounter a demon. Neither is resenting and fighting them. Eventually befriending one, though, is unheard of. Then again, Arthur and Alfred are a special case. One of them just doesn't know it. Angel!Arthur and Demon!Alfred</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Prologue summary: After losing consciousness from an attack, Arthur wakes up bandaged in an unknown room. His confusion skyrockets when he finds out who saved him.

The room was small, barely being able to fit a bed, a table, and a worn out fireplace that looked more like a group of rotting bricks huddling together than a fireplace. The walls were an uneven shade of grade with dark stains and cracks creating blotches all over the room and the decayed wood that made up the roof seemed as if it would collapse any second. There was a pungent smell throughout the room, probably from the mold growing in the corners.

Arthur had no memory of how he had gotten there.

He let out a puff of breath, watching how the dust particles danced away from him. The last thing he remembered was fighting a pack of demons that had ambushed him in the forest. They had gotten him onto the ground, growling about how they would rip his wings and halo right after they've had their fun with him, before they clawed at his torso. He had screamed and stabbed the demon on top of him, but he was outnumbered. He had lost consciousness once they bashed his head into the ground for the tenth time.

He brought a hand up to touch his exposed chest and was surprised to find bandages wrapped tightly around his torso and shoulders, a few smudges of blood seeping through the white gauze. Thousands of questions ran through Arthur's mind. Where was he? Who had done this? Why was he alive? How did they save him? Who had saved him?

What had saved him?

"Finally awake, darling?" A voice sneered next to him. Arthur jolted to the other side of the bed as fast as he could and bit his tongue to keep a groan of pain from escaping. The voice laughed in pure, dark amusement. "Careful now dear or those wounds will open. Unless you want that?" Arthur could practically hear the grin in those words and he bit back another whimper of pain that came from his chest. He was not going to show weakness to this, this demon.

Arthur turned his head to glare at the demon with all he had. The savage had ebony colored hair, like his wings and horns, and electric blue eyes, protected by a pair of frames, that gleamed with malicious intent. The thing wore a black military uniform and jacket that clearly showed his rank in hell's army. Arthur's eyes narrowed. This wasn't an ordinary demon.

He was a captain.

The demon's grin widened and he took a step forward, clearly enjoying the way the angel tried to move away. "You could at least thank me. Thought angels were all into that we must show our gratitude and shit." The demon moved forward again and was delighted to see Arthur had hit a wall and couldn't move. He sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned forward just enough to invade the angel's personal space. His eyes travelled downward to Arthur's exposed neck and he licked his lips. "Unless you want to thank me in other ways?"

Arthur felt a shiver of disgust travel down his spine. The demon leaned in again and flicked his tongue across the angel's neck, making Arthur tremble slightly at the sensation. He closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath as the demon nibbled on his skin, shooting rockets of something through Arthur's body. His mind fogged up as the unknown feeling, not an entirely unpleasant one, took over everything. Arthur wasn't even aware, nor did he care, that his face was flushed a bright red and he was moaning sinfully next to the demon's ears.

"Heh, never knew angels could make those sounds." The demon alluringly whispered into the angel's collarbone. "Wonder what other sounds you can make." He slid a hand into Arthur's slacks and caressed his inner thigh and one of his nails accidently scratched the skin. The slight pain awakened Arthur from his stupor and, with all the force he had in his weakened state, shoved the demon away from him.

Arthur was panting harshly as he glowered at the demon in front of him. "Don't. Touch. Me." He emphasized every word in a murderous tone that could send weaker demons running in fear. This demon, however, just laughed.

"Seemed like you were enjoying it though, sweetheart."

"Leave. Now."

"Awww, don't be like that darling." The demon put on a pout but his eyes still showed his amusement at everything. "This anyway to treat your savior?"

Arthur silently cursed his curiosity. "Savior?"

The demon nodded and lightly tapped the bandages around Arthur's chest. "Who else could've done it? I got you all cleaned and bandaged up which was a hard thing to do, you know." He eyed the smudges of blood on the bandages. "Angel's blood is really tempting."

Well, this was unexpected. And completely confusing and wrong. This demon saving an angel from certain death? And right when they were in the middle of a war? It didn't make any sense. Even if the thing was doing this for malicious reasons, things still didn't add up. The demon could have just locked him away, bloody and hurt, and had his way with him. Why the sentimental and humane gesture of bandaging him up?

"Why?"

"Why what babe?"

"Don't play dumb with me, demon." Arthur spat out. " I want to know why you saved me."

"Because I secretly hate hell and the other demons and want to join the angels in the war?" Arthur scoffed at that and the demon grinned. "Okay, yeah not even I believed that. Wouldn't that be something though? Not that it would matter 'cause you guys are gonna lose anyways."

"We won't lose." Arthur practically yelled at the demon. The demon leaned forward and patted the angel's cheek.

"'Course you guys will! All of you are weak." He licked Arthur's jaw, making the other shiver again. "Every last one of you."

Arthur shoved the demon away and unconsciously tried to unsheathe his sword from his side, forgetting that he woke up with his weapon missing from its place. The demon laughed and stood up from the bed, having his hands up in a mock surrender.

"Oh no, not the invisible holy sword of doomed!" He laughed and backed away from Arthur. "Anything but that! I surrender!"

Arthur twitched. He loathed how this demon was clearly playing with him and he was having a hell of a time enjoying it. He opened his mouth to say something, he wasn't sure what but he had to say something or his pride would never allow him to forgive himself, when the demon suddenly stopped laughing and stiffened. After a few seconds he sighed in irritation.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming." He mumbled before grinning at Arthur in that mysterious way the angel was beginning to loathe. "Sorry darling, but they need me right now. Gotta fine tune some shit." He sighed dramatically. "Can never give me a break. It's what I get for being Captain." He leered at Arthur. "Ain't it the same for you Captain Kirkland?"

Arthur froze. "How do you-"

"Know your name?" He guessed. "That's a secret babe. But I could tell you for a price." Arthur shuddered at the way the demon's eyes looked at him.

The demon stiffened again for a few seconds before growling. "I'm fucking coming damn it! Give me a damn minute before I rip those horns off that scrawny body and shove them through your eyes!" He turned to Arthur again. "So what do you say?"

Arthur grimaced. "As if I'll ever cooperate with any of your kind."

"Awww, I'm heartbroken now." He clutched his heart. "You sure are mean for an angel. How about this?" He seated himself on the bed again. "I'll answer your earlier question if you do me a favor." Arthur was about to scoff in the other's face but he was interrupted. "All you have to do is give me a kiss right here," He tapped his cheek," and I'll give the answer. Sound fair?"

Arthur stared at him for a few moments, wondering if this was a trap. It had to be. It was never wise to make an agreement with a demon, even if seemed fairly harmless but his curiosity was burning him. He should refuse. He should. He really should.

"…All right."

The demon grinned and leaned forward. Arthur gulped, praying that he didn't just make a big mistake, and moved towards the demon. The second before his lips made contact with the demon's cheek, the demon moved with lighting speed and crushed his lips against the angel's. Arthur tried moving back but the demon had already grabbed him by his cheeks. He was trapped.

Arthur tried struggling more but the demon was stronger than him. He was unable to block the other's tongue from entering his mouth and couldn't help the soft moan that escaped his mouth. He could feel the demon's smirk as he continued to ravish Arthur's mouth, hungrily mapping out everything he could. After a few seconds of the demon practically devouring him and Arthur clawing at him, the demon pushed away and moved to the other side of the room.

"Not bad, for a pure and holy angel." He grinned at Arthur's flush face.

"You lying-"

"I'm a demon." He cut off Arthur. "Did you expect me to suddenly be an honest little angel just cuz of you?" Arthur said nothing. "A deal's a deal though so I'll answer your earlier question." With a smirk, the demon continued. "I, Captain Jones, helped you out because there was nothing better to do."

Arthur stared at him in disbelief. "You did it out of boredom?"

"Yep. Glad I did too. Learned angels are pretty good in certain areas." He grinned and winked at Arthur. "If it wasn't for your aura, I'd believe you weren't an angel."

The demon suddenly appeared in front of Arthur and licked some of the blood that was seeping into the bandages. "It was fun babe. Maybe we'll get further next time. Bye bye sweetheart." With those words, the demon disappeared from Arthur's sight.

Arthur was immobile for the next few minutes. He was confused, angry, disoriented, humiliated. He shrieked at his own stupidity and cursed curiosity. How could he let that demon get the better of him? He was Captain Arthur Kirkland! He should have known better! He should have never even spoken to the demon in the first place!

Arthur glared at the space the demon had occupied a few minutes ago. No one makes a fool of Arthur Kirkland and gets away with it. Especially that blasted demon.

That demon thought they would meet for a next time hmm?

Well then, the next time they saw each other-and they will, Arthur will definitely make sure of it- he was going to personally destroy Captain Jones, no matter what it would take.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little over a year has passed and Arthur is on earth. Unfortunately, so is Jones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of warning to readers, I'll be using a bit of things from Supernatural in this fic, like God disappearing and angels being able to teleport places but not the part where angels and demons need vessels. Just a heads up. ^.^

It was raining.

Arthur watched the droplets of water fall from the sky and hit the glass window of the small establishment he had decided to take refuge in (he had always hated the feeling of having his wings wet and unbalancing him). The cup of tea he had ordered- even if his kind didn't need food to survive, Arthur still enjoyed the aroma and taste of tea, especially black tea mixed with a splash of milk and honey- was half-empty and a bit lukewarm, a sign that it hadn't been too long since he had taken a seat and drew his gaze over to the rain. Every now and then a snippet of conversation would reach his ears but he mostly ignored the humans around him for his own thoughts.

Heaven was in chaos. Ever since the news that their father had disappeared, not even leaving a bloody note or a sign that would allude to a recent return, the place Arthur had called home for centuries had become bitter. His brothers and sisters could not agree on what to do now without their father's guidance. Half of them believed they should wait until He came back while others thought it was for the best to forget about Him and rule heavens for themselves. Arguments turned into threats and threats turned into actions. It wasn't exactly a civil war yet but Arthur wouldn't be surprised if the trigger for it would be pulled very soon, or already. He really didn't know the current status of heaven considering he left it months ago.

Arthur didn't know what to think of Father just suddenly leaving and the constant fights between his siblings didn't exactly give him a clear mind to think things through. He had known that eventually they would demand him to pick a side, something he didn't want to do, so without really thinking of it he ran.

It was cowardly, he knew that, and dangerous but Arthur didn't get to be a captain by pure luck. He had hidden most of his angelic presence away so his siblings couldn't just drag him back and fight by force and using some means he didn't really want to think about- he _had_ apologized over and over again silently for his wrongdoings and promised to later make it up- he had acquired a small flat and some money in the populated region of New York. He would have chosen England but he knew that would have been the first place they would look for him so he ruled that place out.

Playing human would not be easy but Arthur would have never thought it would be this difficult. Ignoring finding a semi-stable job (he was lucky to find a job in a local bookstore) and making sure that no angelic presences were near him or could detect him (easier said than done unfortunately), Arthur found himself having a stalker. A stalker that he really wished he could kill on the spot but couldn't due to multiple reasons.

He never would have thought Jones would find him and then proceed to annoy him until his composure snapped. Arthur tried to keep up to his promise of killing the demon but Jones was cleverer than he originally thought. Every encounter had the same basic pattern. They meet, they fight, Arthur gains the advantage and prepares to stab him, and then Jones would bloody turn into a child and look _innocent and helpless and human and whimper-_

And then Arthur would just growl, turn away, and disappear to a remote area to let out his frustrations as he tried to beat Jones's victorious laugh from his mind.

Arthur let out an angry huff and faintly traced the outline of the demon blade that was tucked securely into his coat's inner pocket. Not that he needed it, he could always just smite the daylights out of Jones with the touch of his hand, but something always kept him at bay. It was probably the same thing that kept him from killing Jones seconds before he could turn into a (quite adorable, much to Arthur's annoyance) child. _What_ that thing was, however, was a complete and utter mystery to him so he just ignored it most of the time. Of course Jones would then proceed to bring it up and their little dance would begin all over.

Arthur finished up the last of his tea and headed towards the door. The rain was still pouring down without any signs of lighting up anytime soon but the irritatingly familiar presence that just appeared a few tables behind him didn't give him much choice in the matter. He politely nodded at a waitress who told him to have a nice day before crossing the threshold. The water hit his face immediately and he cursed at the fact that his coat would get ruined after this. And he really liked this one too.

The presence was following him, just like Arthur knew he would. He kept a steady pace towards a street he knew to be empty at this hour and only stopped when he had reached it. He turned around and pointed his dagger at his follower, who looked at it amused.

"Hey Kirkland, fancy meeting you here."

"Jones," Arthur spat out, "Why do you insist on following me?"

"'s boring down there." Jones shrugged. "It's no fun if we can't bother you guys but we can't since you all decided to play civil war." A grin. "Except for one little angel. Or is it human now?"

"Go away before I kill you."

Jones laughed. "If you really wanted to kill me, you would have done so already~" Suddenly he was in front of Arthur, leaning in so they were only inches apart. "Plenty of chances to do it but you didn't. And you won't. The little angel is all alone on earth and his only company is a demon. He won't kill him because if he did, he'd go insane from loneliness. And then he'd _fall_." Jones backed away a few feet, not even a flinch of pain on his face at the deep cut on his bicep. He just laughed.

"I wouldn't mind if you fell you know." He continued. "You'll always be mine either way~" This time Arthur threw the dagger, aiming for the stomach, but Jones avoided it easily. He picked up the dagger and spun it around playfully. Arthur looked at it wearily. "Angel, demon, human, whatever you are you're always mine, no matter what."

Arthur took a step back. He felt a cold chill run up his spine at the words Jones said and all that his mind could process was _'Get out of here, get out of here now!_ ' So without looking back Arthur turned on his heels and ran. He was grateful that Jones didn't follow.

He ran all the way to his flat, fumbling for the keys in his pants pocket instead of just appearing inside. Once inside, Arthur made his way towards the couch and lied down on it, closing his eyes. His head hurt. He gently rubbed his temples but the pain didn't subside, which was odd. His healing powers didn't work on his headache and he didn't know why. Jones probably had something to do with it.

This was the first time Arthur had ran away from a fight, from him. Rage passed through his core that he quickly suppressed. He didn't want to lose his concentration and accidentally let his guard down so his family- again, he scoffed at the word- could find him. Although, he didn't know what was the better option- going back to heaven or staying on earth with Jones. Maybe he could take him out in his sleep...

Arthur quickly ruled that thought out. He would never voice it out loud but the thought of killing a defenseless thing always made him feel horribly guilty. It was one of the reasons why he could never kill Jones when he turned into a child. The bastard probably knew this too.

"Bloody demon." He murmured. "Why can't I kill you?"

If Arthur had opened his eyes at that time, he would have seen Jones appear right in front of him. He would have seen Jones smile, not leer or smirk, down at him before quietly placing the dagger Arthur had left down on top of the coffee table. A mischievous glint passed through his eyes and he leaned down and quickly whispered something into Arthur's ear- he whispered it low enough for Arthur to believe that he had imagined those two words- before disappearing into thin air.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything around Arthur is both confusing and familiar to him. Sadly, his headache isn't making anything better. Neither is Jones, like always.

_Arthur didn't have a clue as to why he was drawn to the small Virginian town as much as he was. There were no angels, no demons. Just a few miles worth of buildings, streets, and the occasional tree all dusted with fresh snow. He looked around the area a bit but quickly grew bored with the town's layout. How humans could live day-to-day seeing the same boring things was something Arthur would probably never understand. Not that he would want to. He was perfectly pleased with what he was, thank you very much._

_Wrapping his arms around himself to keep out the cold, Arthur continued his walk through the town. The streets were practically empty except for a few people every now and then. Most of them- even the children, much to Arthur's sympathy- wore dirty workers clothes and had bags under their eyes. They passed by Arthur sluggishly, gathering the remaining of their energy to move their feet a few mores step so they could reach their homes and rest._

_His random walk through town eventually led him to the part of the town where the factories were. Groups of children rushed out of the building, each with a look of exhaustion. They all walked passed him to the main road that led to town, all except for one kid. Curiosity overtook Arthur and so he silently followed the boy as he walked to the back of the factory and leaned against the wall._

_For a while, nothing happened. The boy- he was more of a young adolescent, 15 at most, with blonde hair tucked under a worn out hat-stared at his shoes- they were also worn out, so much that it was a wonder that they hadn't split apart yet- and was noticeably trembling. He didn't bother to wrap his thin, brown coat around himself though, much to Arthur's confusion. It was like the boy wasn't even aware he was slowly freezing to death. What could the lad be thinking about so hard?_

_Arthur concentrated on the boy's thoughts. They were all jumbled up with pent up anger and frustration and exhaustion. He felt so tired of living, tired of not living up to anything, that he couldn't take it anymore and so-_

_There was a switchblade in his pocket. Arthur didn't have to look into the lad's thoughts to realize what the boy intended to do next._

_Well, this was a predicament. Should he talk the lad out of it or-_

_What was he thinking? Of course he should stop him! As an angel-_

_"Wake up," Arthur turned his attention to the boy and froze at the bright blue eyes that were gazing up at him. "Wake up."_

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Arthur opened his eyes and found himself splayed on the couch. His breathing was a bit erratic and his head was still aching but that wasn't what was on his mind at the moment.

He had fallen asleep. Had dreamed. Angels were not supposed to do that.

Maybe he was spending too much time away from heaven. That was why his healing powers weren't as effective anymore and why his head felt like it was going to split in half. His Grace was longing to go back to its home and would do anything to get what it wanted, even if meant going against its angel.

As much as it pained him though, Arthur knew going back to heaven wasn't an option for him. An indecisive angel was worse than one who chose a side. Arthur would be accused of treason by both sides and then punished accordingly. And the punishment for treason was worse than death. If any of his brothers were to ever find him and drag him back, they would rip his wings and Grace from him and his body would fall from paradise. He would become a fallen angel.

Just thinking about what could happen to him made his headache throb more.

Arthur touched his temples and let out a contempt sigh when some of the pain faded away. His head was still hurting but it was bearable now. He lifted himself off the couch and stretched his stiff muscles. His eyes wandered over to the small calendar pinned to the wall near the kitchen and groaned when he realized he had work today. Taking a day off on such short notice would make someone suspicious so he had no choice but to go. _Fantastic_.

In the blink of an eye, Arthur wore a new set of clothes- something simple, just a pair of jeans, a buttoned shirt and a jacket- and appeared in front of the bathroom mirror to make sure he looked presentable. After failing to tame his hair- even after countless centuries of trying, Arthur could never get his hair the way he wanted it to be- Arthur disappeared from the apartment.

He didn't notice the dagger at all.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Arthur worked in a small bookstore a few blocks away from his flat. It had been only a few days since he had run from his brothers and he was wandering the streets, worried about what he was going to do now that he could never return, when a man had accidentally bumped into him. The box he had been carrying had dropped onto Arthur's feet and the man had spent half an hour constantly apologizing to the blond and had eventually offered him a job as a way to make up for his clumsiness. Arthur, not one to look a gifted horse in the mouth, took the job.

The man, Arthur's current boss, introduced himself as Antonio Fernandez Carreido. He was a Spaniard who had decided to move to the States for the legendary _American Dream_ and was well on his way to accomplishing it. Antonio's bookstore was well known with the teenagers and young adults of the area, who preferred his charisma and charm over the stiffness of the library located two blocks away. It was pure luck that Arthur had bumped into him, or maybe it wasn't (Judging by his presence Antonio wasn't an angel or a demon but there was something strange about him, something familiar. Arthur didn't really ponder over it though. It was common to see resemblances between humans when one lives so long).

"Hello Arthur!" Antonio waved at the blond once he entered the bookstore. Arthur greeted back with a small wave. "Some new books came in this morning. They should be put in the _New Arrival_ section. Oh, and switch out the books in the _Recommended Books_ sections with ones that you like! If you need help, I'll be at the register! _Adios_!" Antonio gave one last smile before hurrying off the empty register, where a small line had already formed.

Arthur sighed at his boss's disorganization. It was a miracle the bookstore had lasted a week with just Antonio as its only worker- he had never told Arthur the reason why he never decided to hire anyone before Arthur- let alone a few years. How Antonio managed would forever be a mystery.

The new books were in the back room, stacked into multiple boxes labeled _New_. Arthur picked up a box and a pocketknife, he could carry more but he didn't want to explain to Antonio why he could carry four large boxes at the same time, and headed to the front bookshelf where the new arrivals were placed. He set the box down on the floor. Antonio had already emptied the shelves for him so all he had to do was place the books in alphabetical order. Once opening the box with the pocketknife, Arthur picked up a few books and began placing them on the shelves.

It took him several minutes to finish the first box and he was just about to go back into the back room for the next one when he heard something fall to the floor. Arthur turned back to the shelf and raised an eyebrow at the lone book on the floor. The shelf he had stocked was still full so it wasn't possible for the book to have fallen from there. He bent down to pick it up and ask Antonio where the book should go when the title caught his eye.

_Wake Up_ by _Francis Bonnefoy_

_"Wake up."_

The back cover, where the summary was usually written, was blank. In its place was a drawing of two black roses intertwined by the stems with the infamous two words, _wake up_ , written at the bottom in cursive. Arthur's curiosity was peaked. The book mostly likely had a plot that consisted of someone awakening in some way either mentally or physically, hence the title, and yet...

And yet he wouldn't know for sure unless he opened it.

It wouldn't hurt to open the book, read its contents. That's what a book was for after all. Who knows, maybe Arthur would become enraptured with the book and he would find something to entertain himself with for a few hours. Despite the repetitive plots and cliché moments, he rather enjoyed reading. Stories written by humans were always interesting. They showed the inner workings of the human mind and it allowed Arthur a chance to understand humans, if only a little. It was an educational experience and who was he to deny himself a chance to understand the way his Father's precious creations worked?

"A-Arthur!" Out of nowhere, Antonio- wasn't he all the way across the store?- swiped the book from Arthur's hands. His smile was a bit too wide and Arthur could have sworn that his eye was twitching. "Can you do me a favor and take this manuscript to, um, _espera_ , let me write it down..." He fetched out a scrap of paper and pen from his pants and scribbled down the address quickly. Arthur noticed he never let go of the book throughout all this time. "Take it here. A friend of mine needs it by today and it's not that far, probably only an hour if you take the subway. I'll finish up with the books here so take your time! Have a safe trip Arthur-"

"Wait," Antonio blinked down at him, his eyes holding a slight panic to them. His shoulders were tense too. " I need a name or I'll accidentally give this to the wrong person..."

Antonio's shoulders slumped down and his smiles eased up. "His name is Gilbert. Believe me, you'll know who he is when you see him. He is a bit…strange."

"All right..." Arthur straightened up and took the manuscript- strange, he didn't recall him having it on him when he came- and scrap of paper and headed towards the front door. He gave Antonio another wave. "I'll be off then."

" _Hasta luego_!" Antonio beamed at him. Arthur turned his back to him and failed to notice how Antonio's nails dug into the book's cover hard enough to leave marks.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Arthur walked into an alleyway and looked at the address Antonio had given him once before he disappeared from the alley and onto the front steps of what should be Gilbert's home. It wasn't the modest house or flat that he was used to seeing around New York City. It was more like a small manor, with its three sets of floors and driveway. Arthur stared at the house for a few seconds before sighing and heading towards the front door. He didn't even know why this surprised him. Antonio had mentioned a few times of a friend who had helped him financially over the years. This Gilbert guy was probably the same person.

Once he had reached the front door Arthur tentatively knocked on the mahogany-made door and waited for someone to open it. A few minutes passed of Arthur awkwardly standing in front of the door, contemplating whether he should just appear inside and leave the manuscript on top of the first table he saw when the door finally opened.

The maid- at least the woman clothes resembled some sort of house worker- glared dangerously at him for a second before her expression became blank of emotion. "You're here for Gilbert?" She deadpanned. Arthur nodded and gestured towards the manuscript in his hands.

"Yes, I have a manuscript for him from Antonio Carreido..." The maid's eyes widened.

"Carreido sent you?" At Arthur's nod, she opened the door wider and motioned for Arthur to come in. He followed her throughout the hallway and into a sitting room larger than Arthur's flat. The maid mumbled to wait one moment before ascending the stairs. Arthur had just taken a seat on the loveseat when her voice rang through the room. "Gilbert, come down! He's not going to bite!"

A muffled response answered her that Arthur had no trouble hearing. _'Like hell he won't! The guy has a biting fetish!'_ Arthur raised an eyebrow at that. What was he talking about?

The maid yelled back," Your stupid friend sent him to give you something!"

"And you believed that? Goddammit Natalia!" At that, Arthur heard two pair of footsteps make their way through the upstairs hallway and cautiously down the first couple of stairs.

Antonio was right about Gilbert being strange. Appearance wise at least. It's not everyday- not even for Arthur- to meet someone with white hair and dark red eyes. He wore a dark suit with a blood red shirt underneath and a weird symbol on the left side of the jacket. Arthur felt a pang of familiarity at the crest but brushed it off. He had probably seen it years ago and that's why it stood out to him so much.

Come to think about it, he'd been saying that a lot lately hasn't he?

"Hey," Arthur's train of thought was abruptly cut off by a rough sounding voice- he was probably German, if the accent was anything to go by- near him. Gilbert had seated himself across from him in a large armchair, elbow propped up on the armrest so his cheek could rest comfortably on his hand. He stared at Arthur much like the maid (Gilbert had called her Natalia) had at first, but his expression was more guarded. "So, _Tony_ sent you huh? Fucking traitor. Probably did it for money-"

"He didn't send me here to ask you for money, if that's what you're implying." Arthur snapped a bit harsher than he had attended. Antonio had been kind to Arthur all this time and if he was being honest, he could almost call the Spaniard a friend. He didn't like the way Gilbert said Antonio's name, with exasperation and annoyance. How could Antonio call this man, who didn't seem to care for him at all, a friend? Weren't humans supposed to be pickier when it came to who they befriended and such?

Gilbert had long since shut his mouth at Arthur's outburst and gave the blond angel a glare that could have rivaled that of a demon's. Arthur glared back, refusing to become intimidated by a human.

"Antonio said you needed this manuscript by today and sent me because he was busy with the store." Arthur waved the manuscript in his hand, not breaking eye contact with the other. "That's all."

"Really?" Gilbert gave him an incredulous stare. "That's all you're here for?"

"Gil!" Natalia hissed into Gilbert's ear. Gilbert ignored her and stared at Arthur, expectant.

Arthur thought of the crest on Gilbert's suit. "Have we met before by any chance? That crest is a tad familiar." Gilbert's eyes changed from cautious to confused. Natalia smacked his head muttered _'idiot'_ under her breath.

It took another couple of seconds for Gilbert's eyes to widen. "Schiebe…" He breathed before bursting out laughing. Arthur watched in utter confusion as the red-eyed man clutched his stomach and leaned forward slightly, his laughter not letting up in the slightest. "T-tony you fucking prankster! Gott, this is awesome!"

Arthur shifted in his seat. He felt incredibly uncomfortable watching Gilbert laugh for some reason. It reminded him too much of a demon. A lot of things about Gilbert reminded him of a demon actually. Even his presence was unusually dark for a human. What was Antonio thinking befriending someone as dangerous as Gilbert?

"Earth to Kirkland," Arthur realized Gilbert had stopped laughing but he now sported a giant grin that reminded of Arthur about a cat he'd read about a few decades ago. "As I was saying, sorry about that. Tony likes to play pranks on me sometimes and he can get pretty damn creative when he's bored. Last one he played ended with the both of us spending the night in jail." Gilbert snickered. "We both swore to lay off the pranks but Tony's not the type to keep his word sometimes so when you said he sent you, I thought it was another of his games. Can't blame a guy for being paranoid right?" Arthur nodded. " _Ja_ so you can leave the manuscript on the loveseat and Natalia here will show you the way out." He stood up and motioned for Arthur to as well. He offered his gloved hand to him. "No hard feelings?"

"Of course," Arthur shook Gilbert's hand and the image of it, ungloved and stained in blood, flashed into his mind but disappeared the second Gilbert withdrew his hand.

As Natalia escorted him out, Arthur couldn't resist the urge to turn his head back to the direction of the sitting room.

Gilbert's grin was still in place but his eyes were almost glowing red as they made eye contact with Arthur's. Gilbert winked at him before turning to the loveseat to pick up the manuscript.

Antonio was right. Gilbert was a strange man.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Antonio would become suspicious if Arthur returned to the bookstore so fast so he decided to take a walk through a nearby park to pass the time. He had materialized a mug filled with tea and took regular sips of it contently. The tea and walk helped him get rid of the off feeling he had after meeting Gilbert. Nature, with the occasional cup of tea, seemed to always calm him down (it was probably because he was an angel).

So he was more than a bit annoyed when someone bumped into him and made him drop his mug.

" _Excusez moi monsieur_ , I did not mean to bump into you. I was a bit distracted looking for someone…" The man gazed at Arthur with hopeful blue eyes. "Have you by any chance seen a boy in a blue sweater anywhere?"

"I'm sorry but I haven't." Arthur looked apologetically at the man. He noticed he had blond hair that reached a bit past his shoulders tied into a low ponytail and a small amount of stubble on his chin.

"I see…" The man sighed in distress but his eyes gazed over Arthur curiously. "You are English, _oui_?"

Arthur refused the urge to roll his eyes. "Does my accent give it away?" He let the sarcasm drip from his voice, enjoying how the man frowned. "And I suppose you're French?"

The man lit up at that. "Why of course! Francis Bonnefoy, at your service. I am truly sorry for the loss of your tea _monsieur_ …?"

"Arthur. Arthur Kirkland." The man's name finally registered in his mind. "Wait, did you say Francis Bonnefoy?" Francis nodded, a slight twinkle in his eye. "You're the one who wrote that book…"

"Ah," Francis smile widened. " _Wake up_ , yes?"

Arthur nodded. "Right, that one."

"It is my best work, if I do say so myself. Judging by that lost expression in your eyes though, I believe you have not read it yet."

"I haven't had the chance…" Arthur trailed off when Francis's eyes darkened. "If it's not too much trouble, do you think it would be all right if you gave me a short preview of it? It does look like an interesting read." The book that Antonio prevented him from reading was something that had been in the back of Arthur's mind ever since he had left the bookstore. There was no summary, no critics in the back. It was a complete and utter mystery until one opened its pages.

Francis's eyes brightened at the question. "I am afraid I am not the type to give spoilers, _mon cher_ , but I am willing to bend the rules a bit for a prospective fan. The book is a bit of an allegory of sorts. It is a story inside a story. Only a few special people can fully understand it, if not relate to it. On the outside, the protagonist leads a life full of problems and deals with them the best he can. On the outside, the book is about his journey of self-discovery and victory. The story inside the story though is quite more complicated than that. That certain world is for you to rediscover and live in, as confusing as that sounds. I am afraid any more hints would ruin the book for you so I will say no more on the matter."

"It seems I was right." Francis looked at Arthur expectantly," The book _does_ sound like an interesting read. I'll have to make time to read it soon." Arthur gave the Frenchman a small smile. "Thank you for indulging me."

"It was no problem _mon cher_." Francis chuckled. "I hate to cut this short but I must really be going. If I keep my son waiting for too long, he will run away again." He turned to a particularly bundled group of trees and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Alfred, we are leaving now! We will miss the play at this rate!"

"Coming!" Arthur tensed up at the childish voice. _No_ …

A boy of about ten years old came running out from the trees. Like Francis had mentioned, he was wearing a blue sweater so it was obvious that the boy was Francis's son. The boy had wheat blond hair and a pair of electric blue eyes that Arthur was quite accustomed to seeing.

When Francis had mentioned his son's name was Alfred, Arthur didn't realize it was the same bloody demon that enjoyed annoying him.

Jones ran up to Francis and hugged his waist, ignoring Arthur for the moment. "We can get ice cream later right? You promised!"

Francis chuckled softly and ruffled Jones's hair. "Only if you behave during the play." He turned to Arthur and bowed in an exaggerated way. Arthur would have scoffed if he hasn't still in a state of shock. "I believe this is where we part. Though if we meet again, please let me treat you to a cup of tea to recompense for the one you lost today. _Au revoir mon cher_." Francis grabbed Jones's hand and started guiding him away from Arthur and towards the park's exit.

"Bye bye mister!" Jones smiled sweetly at him though his eyes betrayed how amused he was at the situation. "Maybe we can play together next time!"

Arthur watched them go for a few more seconds before the reality of the situation hit him. Before Francis could leave his range of sight, Arthur did a quick search through his thoughts. According to the Frenchman's memories, Alfred Jones was a boy he had adopted eight months ago. That was all the information Arthur could access at such a far away distance (that and his mind was currently a mess).

Arthur was not the only being Alfred Jones was toying with but why did it feel as if he was missing something?

His head was beginning to hurt again.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Are you sure this is gonna work Francis?" Alfred- he was in the adult form of the child he had been earlier, he was even wearing the same clothes- stared at the Frenchman questioningly. Francis waved the question off and continued walking as if he hadn't heard the other. Alfred frowned. "I'm talking to you, y'know. I know you can hear me since I know you're not like everyone else 'round here."

"You talk too much _monsieur_. It is a miracle they have not found us yet, what with all the talking you do." Francis stared at the motionless beings around him in disdain. " _Monsieur_ Honda must be very skilled considering we have come this far. And to answer your question, _oui_ , I am positive that as long as we play our roles well then this plan will work."

"And asking him out is a part of your role?" Francis could feel the glare Alfred was given him and he couldn't help but to smirk.

"Jealous?" Alfred glared harder and Francis chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in him. I am just helping an old friend out. That is why I am here, no?"

"I guess…" Alfred shoved his hands in his sweater's pockets. "Just don't go off track!"

Francis nodded. "As I said, if we play our roles well then we will have what we want. There is no way I am going to mess my part up and I hope the same from you and _monsieur_ Honda."

"Kiku'll definitely do his part right. And you shouldn't worry 'bout me. I'll do my role fucking perfectly if that's what it takes." Alfred said, a hint of determination in his voice. "'Cuz I want my Arthur back and nothin' is going to stop me from that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the wait on this chapter! //passes out apology cookies


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are not normal so he has no choice but to make a deal with the devil. Again.

The next few days were peculiar to say the least. Antonio had become even more clumsier, if that was possible, and more talkative- always wanting to know what Arthur had done the day before and what he plans on doing; he was starting to annoy Arthur with all the questions. To add to that, the bloody Spaniard kept making ridiculous excuses to keep Arthur away from the book Francis had written. It was apparently either the only one of its kind or completely sold out, as Arthur could not find a single copy in the library or other bookstores, and Antonio for some reason was determined to return it to its owner. _“It belongs to someone so you can’t take it home! How would you like it if someone took something special from you?”_ was the usual answer Arthur received whenever he mentioned the book. Not to mention the odd look in Antonio’s green eyes during the few times Arthur chose to press the subject. They almost seemed paranoid. 

To add to that, he was still sleeping, and even worse, dreaming. It was always the same dream, too. At least, it always involved the same blond, blue-eyed boy that had an eerie resemblance towards Jones. It was most likely some sort of message that his Father wanted him to know but Arthur, for the life of him, could not figure out what the dream was supposed to mean. There were no allusions towards war or deception or even a status report on how heaven was fairing, only the boy that seemed to give up on life. He didn’t know how those details were supposed to help him figure out his Father’s odd sense of humor. 

Whatever it was, there was a strong chance that Jones was deeply involved. The demon had been oddly quiet as of lately and had not bothered Arthur in days, an odd thing considering it was the first Jones had gone this long without even showing his presence to him. Despite the sudden silence and relaxing atmosphere these past few days- excluding Antonio’s sudden desire to know everything about Arthur and the constant ache in his head that never seemed to disappear completely- Arthur felt more tense than ever. Demons were never quiet unless they were planning something. But what in the world could Jones be planning? The possibilities were endless, considering the demon’s status in hell. Just thinking about everything that could happen made his shoulders tense up more than they already were. 

_“Estas bien_ Arthur?” Arthur was ripped out of his thoughts by the sound of Antonio’s slightly worried tone. He turned around to face his boss and saw that the brunette’s usual smile was gone, replaced by a frown. “You’ve been standing there staring at the bookshelf for a while now…” 

Arthur looked around and realized Antonio was right. He was in the middle of the aisle with the box of books he was supposed to be stacking at his feet, still sealed. He coughed in embarrassment and forced out a weak chuckle. “It’s nothing, just a bit distracted that’s all…” 

Judging by the look on his face, Antonio didn’t believe him. “Liar. You’ve been acting odd for the last few days. You’re quieter, space out more, and you have dark circled under your eyes.” 

Arthur tried not to flinch at the accusations. His body had become restless lately despite all the sleeping he had recently been doing. His wings were sore from being hidden for so long, his head ached nonstop, his soul and grace ached to go back to heaven, his pride screamed at him to stay on earth, his morals told him to confront Jones. Overall, he was tried both physically and mentally but, since he wasn’t a human, he couldn’t take a nap and recharge his spirits. The only way was to go back _home_ \- 

Antonio sighed and poked Arthur’s cheek. “ _Veas?_ You’re spacing out right now _idiota._ What could you be thinking about so hard...”Antonio trailed off, his green eyes widening in realization; Arthur blinked in confusion. The blond peeked into Antonio’s mind and saw images of pink hearts and hand holding… _oh._

“ _Oh._ ” Antonio breathed. His lips twitched up slightly. “ _Oh._ Is it that one guy that came in here about two months ago? Black hair and blue eyes-” 

“No!” Arthur glared at him but he could feel himself flush in embarrassment. Damn that one time Jones decided to bother him in front of Antonio. “That is _not_ why-“

“You don’t have to hide it~” Antonio practically sang, grinning. Oh he was enjoying this far too much. “ _Sabes qué?_ Take the day off. There isn’t that many people today so I can handle things by myself.” Before Arthur could protest, Antonio gently grasped his shoulders and began leading him to the entrance. “You look really tired so if you take the day off, you can relax! You can go that coffee shop you like so much and drink some coffee, wait, no, you like tea…you can drink some tea and then take a _siesta_ or even go on a date! See, there are a lot of things you can do for fun!”

Arthur kept staring at him as if he had grown a second head. “A date? With _Jones_? _Are you bloody insane?_ I’d rather spend the day watching paint dry!” 

“So his name is Jones?” Antonio looked amused by this piece of information. “ _Un nombre extraño._ ” They had now reached the front part of the store. Antonio let of Arthur’s shoulders and turned him around to face him. “Now, am I going to kick you out of my store and can you do that by yourself?” 

Arthur glared at him once more and Antonio returned it with a smile. The blond twitched before turning away, muttering a few curses at the Spaniard. He grabbed his messenger bag from where he had put it behind the counter and stomped over the entrance. “You are the worst human I have ever met.” He muttered under his breath. Antonio chuckled.

“You’ll thank me later! Oh, and Arthur?” He called out the blond just as he had crossed the threshold. Arthur turned around and noticed Antonio had a smug grin on. “I never said to go on a date with _Jones_.” 

Antonio slammed the front door shut just as Arthur began to yell. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

There was one thing Antonio hadn’t counted for. 

In all the time Arthur had been in New York, he had not once been interested in its sights. Not to say he didn’t think the city was beautiful- on the contrary, it was a sight to behold once the sun had set. It was just that he could never see the point at making time out of his busy schedule to go visit landmarks that he had seen plenty of time before. He was centuries years old for heaven’s sake; he had already seen most of what earth had to offer a long time ago. 

The only places Arthur really enjoyed were the park and a small coffee shop located a few blocks away from Antonio’s bookstore, which is where he currently found himself. He hadn’t ordered anything yet, still lost in his thoughts. It wasn’t his fault that the majority of his time was spent protecting his identity and hunting down the occasional monster than came into the city though it was more the former than the latter. He had not seen another monster other than Jones in half a year. If there was anyone to blame, which there was, it would be his idiotic elder brothers up in heaven. They were the ones who felt they could lead everyone better than their Father, the ones who began the civil war and tore everyone apart, the ones who cornered him and demand he choose a side and when he refused and pleaded with them, _begged them on his knees to stop fighting_ , they didn’t even hesitate on holding him down and grasping his trembling wings with their cold hands- 

A shooting pain in his head distracted him from his train of thought and his vision blanked. Arthur yelped in shock and clutched his head, panic and shock filling his mind when his healing powers were ineffective. A high-pitched ringing resounded through his ears and Arthur bit his tongue to keep the scream at bay. He could feel something warm and sticky spilling from his ears and down his throat. His world felt too fragile, as if it were about to break at any given moment. 

His head gave one more painful stab before it suddenly disappeared, as if it was never there. The ringing was a bit slower but it eventually faded away as well. Arthur continued to sit there- bending over the table slightly, eyes shut, and head still clutched in his hands- for what seemed like hours. There were no other sounds besides his labored breathing and the loud beating of his heart. 

Slowly, life began to move again. The sounds of the other patrons in the shop filled his ears as his body steadily calmed down. The world around him came into motion again. His senses had gradually come back and, with them, so did the strong smell of caffeine that forever haunted the shop and the touch of a hand caressing his hair. A hand that wasn’t his. 

The realization was enough to make Arthur snap his eyes open. There was someone, no, _something_ , sitting in the seat across from him, a grin on his face as he continued to run his fingers through Arthur’s hair.

“ _You,_ ” Arthur practically growled at the demon in front of him and swatted the hand away as hard as he could. The demon just laughed merrily and picked up his cup of coffee with the hand Arthur had just hit. 

“Kirkland,” Jones grinned, his blue eyes shining with amusement. “It’s been a while huh?” 

“And here I thought someone finally killed you,” Arthur mumbled, ignoring the question. Jones pouted and leaned forward. 

“You know you would miss me,” He grinned. “Who else would keep you entertained in this boring city?” 

“New York City is quite the sight,” Arthur remarked.

“Then why haven’t you even seen the Statue of Liberty?” Jones mused, taking another gulp of coffee. “It’s not like you’re _busy_ or anything. Haven’t you noticed it yet?” 

“Noticed what?”

Jones stared at him, disappointed. The expression made Arthur’s stomach churn. “That there hasn’t been a demon or monster, angels included,” Arthur glowered at him for that,” in this area in _months_. Everyone’s disappeared a few weeks after a _certain angel_ showed up.” 

“That’s splendid,” Arthur bit back. “That means I’m doing my job despite the daily bloody distractions I have to go through. You may not know this Jones but I despise your kind so hearing about the possible extermination of them in this area actually brings me joy.” 

Jones’ expression was unreadable. “You don’t get it do you? New York City is empty of any supernatural beings except for the two of us. Shouldn’t that worry you or at least get you curious?” 

Arthur stared at him suspiciously. “What does it matter to you whether I’m concerned or not? We are enemies Jones and we always will be. That will never change.” 

That seemed to have brought a reaction out of the dark haired demon. Jones slammed his hands down onto the table and gave Arthur his best glare. Arthur felt a pang of fear run through him as the electric blue eyes- they were practically _glowing_ with rage- met his own surprised emerald ones. He had never seen Jones angry before so he had never realized how absolutely terrifying it was to be the victim of that gaze. He would never admit it out loud, but Arthur actually preferred Jones’ cheerful, teasing side to this _monster_.

“You are really pissing me off here _Arthur_.” The angel felt a shiver go down his spine at the use of his first name. Jones had never done that before. “I know you can be stubborn and short-tempered and an idiot pretty much all the time but goddam it get a clue already! There is obviously something fucking wrong with the way things are here and since you can’t see it I have to pause my plans to _tell_ you something’s wrong and it’s fucking annoying. Now are you gonna listen to me or are you gonna throw another tantrum?” 

Arthur twitched and bit back the urge to smite Jones right there on the spot. He was crossing the line and Arthur should have stabbed him for it but something held him back. He had to admit what Jones had said was right. He _had_ noticed something odd happening to the city but Arthur had been to busy trying to protect himself to investigate. It made him sick to think that he had to be brought back into reality by Jones of all beings. He was just glad that he had chosen the secluded corner of the coffee shop to sit in or else he would have had to worry about being overheard for his next words. The less witnesses to his degradation of pride, the better. 

“…Go on.” He gritted through his teeth. He could feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment and he had to remind himself it was his duty as an angel to protect his Father’s creations so he wouldn’t disappear into his flat and bury his face in a pillow. 

Jones stared at him with slightly wide eyes. He had obviously expected more of a fight. “…Really?” 

“Before I change my mind.” Arthur snapped. 

Jones didn’t hesitate. “If you say so. As I said, New York City is completely void of supernatural beings, not counting you or me. Considering this is _New York_ for hell’s sake, that’s pretty damn weird. What’s weirder is that it’s only happening in this city. Once you pass the city limits there’s a whole bunch of demons roaming the streets. I even saw an angel or two.” He ignored the way Arthur stiffened. “They ain’t looking for you, trust me. That civil war of theirs is way more important than you right now. Anyways, I asked a few demons why they were avoiding the city and they said they weren’t avoiding it.” He paused a bit to sip his coffee. “They’re locked out.” 

Arthur stared at him. “They can’t get in?”

“Nope.” Jones shrugged. 

“It’s probably a spell cast by angels then,” Arthur deducted. “Though I’m curious as to why you are allowed into the city.” 

“Oh I’m a special case,” Jones grinned and winked at him. Arthur was unimpressed. “And this spell isn’t just keeping demons out. It’s keeping anything supernatural out, except for a few exceptions.”

“Why would angels cast a spell that repels even them?”

“That’s the mystery,” Jones sighed. “Usually I’d just ignore problems like this, hell I’m sometimes the one causing them, but this case is a bit personal to me. You won’t believe me but I’m not just in this city to annoy you.” Arthur scoffed. “Told ya. There’s something I have to do here and I can’t, _I won’t_ , leave without completing it.”

“And why are you telling me this?”

Jones stared at him. “We’re the only two supernatural beings here. It’s pretty obvious why. As much as I know you’re gonna hate this idea, I’m going to say it anyway. I think we should work together-“

“Are you bloody insane-“

“-So we can crack this case and go on our separate ways.” Jones finished. “And if you say yes, I promise to not be as _annoying_.” He rolled his eyes at the last part. “So what do you say? Feel like putting our species’ rivalry aside so we can figure this out?” 

“Not a chance,” Arthur replied immediately. Jones blinked at him, shocked. “This doesn’t benefit me at all. It would actually help me if my brothers couldn’t come here to look for me and the city is so much better without your kind ruining the peace I’ve long accustomed to. Figure this out yourself if you’re so bloody curious. I refuse to make a deal with you ever again.” 

“You’re still hung up on that?” Jones pouted. “Come on, it was just a make out session. Don’t be such an angel.” Arthur glared at him for that. Jones sighed again. “Okay how about this? You help me on this and I’ll tell you why you’ve been getting those headaches.” 

Arthur paled. “How do you-“

“I’ve got my sources,” The demon shrugged. “Hell, I’ll even tell you what those dreams of yours mean as a bonus. So what do you say? Feel like making another deal with the devil?” 

Did Arthur even have a choice? Obviously, he didn’t. He couldn’t understand how Jones knew about his headaches or dreams but he knew what they meant and that was more than enough to make Arthur apprehensive. Who knew what Jones would do with that kind of information, especially if it was a message from Father? Arthur needed to know what Jones knew so he could at least have a fighting chance against the dark haired demon. Even if that meant partnering up with said demon. 

“I am not kissing you again,” Arthur declared, defeat clear in his voice. Jones visibly relaxed and grinned. 

“We have to seal the deal somehow….” His eyes lit up with an idea. “From now, we call each other on a first name bases. Either that or we do it the old fashioned way!” He immediately said when Arthur opened his mouth to protest. Arthur sighed. Oh well, it could be worse…

“Fine.”

“Great!” Jones held his hand out, the grin never leaving his face. “Let’s finish this as fast as we can then, _Arthur_.” 

Arthur ignored the way his stomach flipped at the way Jones- ah; he couldn’t call him that now could he? - said his name. He reluctantly shook hands with the demon. “I should have killed you when I had the chance.” 

“You haven’t said my name yet~” Jones sang. Arthur twitched. 

“ _A-Alfred_.” He cursed his warming face and looked away from Alfred to look out the window. “Bloody hell, I know I am going to regret this…” 

“Too late for regrets,” Alfred chuckled. He finished the last bit of his coffee and looked at Arthur excitedly. “Now let’s get started shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're finally on a first name bases even though it's forced. ^^;  
> Next chapter will probably focus more on two certain characters that aren't Alfred and Arthur. Anyone want to guess who?  
> And I'm starting to think this'll be a bit longer than ten chapters...


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antonio contemplates some confusing topics while Arthur learns something about Alfred he didn't expect.

Antonio leaned on the trunk of the tree as he swung his legs back and forth. It had been easier than he thought it would be to climb the tree- and it was a pretty tall one too; it was easily over ten times as tall as him- though maybe it had only looked difficult to climb. Or maybe it was because of completely different reasons; he really wasn’t sure how people in his predicament were supposed to be like. 

He had decided not to open his bookstore for the day mostly because he wasn’t supposed to (he was still very confused on how the storyline went since a certain someone refused to tell him everything though that may have been partially his fault for making fun of the storyteller). Also it was a nice sunny day out and it was these kinds of days that reminded him of Spain and, more importantly, Italy. It was a nice day to reminisce. 

Antonio looked at the book in his lap. It was the one he had (recovered) taken from Arthur some time ago. He traced the title- _Wake Up_ \- slowly with his index finger and then did the same with the name of the author though it was with a more hesitant and careful touch than before. His eyes lingered on the name longer than necessary before he forced his gaze away (the past was the past; he couldn’t be sentimental now, not when he had a job to do). He redirected his hand to the edge of the book and opened it. 

The title page, which was just a carbon copy of the cover, greeted him, Antonio flipped to the next page and then the next. He did this for another few pages before pausing his search for a moment. He chuckled bitterly. “Just as I though, I can’t read it. Everything is in Enochian.” Honestly, he had expected something like this. He knew he wouldn’t be able to speed the story up but the rush of annoyance still filled him. Enochian was the language of the angels. It was created by and for angels so of course only they could fully understand such a complicated language. 

_(Again he remembered a time when even the mention of that language sent disgusted shivers down his spine and the touch of it would burn his fingertips for days; but, once again, he reminded himself that was all done- well, not exactly; stupid timeline- and to focus on the matter at hand)._

Antonio went for the last page of the book and let out a hum of interest. The text was written in Latin instead of Enochian, much to his surprise. He still couldn’t read it- though there was a few words here and there that sounded a bit similar to some words in Spanish- but from the looks of it, it appeared to be an incantation of sorts. Below the block of text was a diagram he was all too familiar with- a devil’s trap.(1)

Antonio let out a huff of irritation. _“Esto es tan confundido.”_ (2) He shut the book and glared at the people walking below him. He was annoyed. How was he supposed to help Arthur if he didn’t know how the damn story went next? Why didn’t he pay more attention?! “ Stupid promise. I should have never…”

His thoughts trailed off as he spotted a blond figure walking towards him. Well not exactly towards him; he was in a tree and it looked like the man was just following the path (and, after all, why would he be looking for Antonio of all people, not when the timelines didn’t match up-) but the brunette still felt the air leave him.

“Francis…”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 _‘During that time you were so knowledgeable it was both helpful and disturbing. You don’t realize the amount of headaches you had- ah, or should I say will- cause me because of that. I’ve always wondered how it was possible for someone to know so much without being told but, now that I think about it, I don’t believe that was the case. That frog absolutely adores annoying me after all.’_

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Was this how the story was supposed to go next? He was supposed to go and _talk_ to _Francis_ about things? Antonio but his lip and watched as Francis came closer and closer with each second. Why did have to be Francis of all people. Why couldn’t it have been anyone else-

The book slipped from his lap and Antonio watched in silent horror as it made its descent and landed right in front of Francis. The blond jumped backwards in fright at the same time Antonio let out a groan and cursed Gilbert and Arthur in Spanish. It was now or never. 

Antonio reluctantly jumped from his branch and landed on a lower one. He did this a few more times before growing impatient and just jumping from the branch he was on to the ground. He landed neatly, with his legs bent to absorb the impact, right in front of Francis. 

Francis stared at the brunette with complete shock. “Antonio, _mon ami_ … what are you doing here? _How_ did you-“ 

“Francis,” Antonio straightened his legs so he could look at his- former yet not really- friend in the eyes. Big mistake. 

 

 _Blue eyes gazed at him with hurt as the life slowly drained from them and the red spread everywhere. So much red-_

 

No. Antonio bit the inside of his cheek. Do not think of that.

He turned his gaze to the book Francis had picked up instead. “Francis,” he repeated, more urgent this time,” we need to talk now _amigo_. It’s important.” 

 -------------------------------------------------------------

_‘Then again,’ A small, amused grin made its way onto his face and Antonio felt a trickle of fear rush through him, ‘He wasn’t the only one who helped you. Time is such a cruel and unusual mistress isn’t she?’_

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Working with Jones- _Alfred_ , he was still not used to calling him that- surprisingly was not as horrible as Arthur had initially thought. The demon had kept to his word and had not overly annoyed him (this did not, however, mean the demon had stopped messing with him) though spending so much time with him later revealed more obnoxious qualities about the demon that Arthur had hoped for. 

For one, Alfred grinned _a lot_. It was as if his default expression was permanently an annoying grin- and they were always directed at Arthur too, much to his annoyance- with that bloody twinkle in his eyes (Arthur once had a passing thought that if they were warmer they could pass as the color of the sky or ocean but he erased the thought as soon as he had it). Secondly, his favorite pastime was teasing him. The demon could not go ten minutes without saying something to rile Arthur up. And it usually worked. 

Despite that though, Alfred’s most annoying (and terrifying) trait was that behind the grin and teasing, there was _something else_. The way he casually talked about what was on his mind to him or the way he treated Arthur as more than just a business partner (because that’s all that they were). He was always trying to get Arthur to forget the rivalry and dislike between their species as well, though it obviously failed every time Alfred brought it up. Not to mention the way Alfred would sometimes look at him when he thought Arthur wasn’t looking, as if he was trying to find something- 

Beside that, Alfred was good company. That did not, by any means, mean that Arthur had given up on smiting him. He just wouldn’t make it as painful and humiliating as he had originally intended. 

So far their search had come up with nothing, which wasn’t surprising. To begin with, they didn’t even know where to start. All they knew was that the city was being isolated- probably by angels, for god knows what reason- and they were the only two supernatural beings inside. As far as Arthur could tell, there no hunters around (they were never around when they were actually needed) which ruled out one source of information. And since Arthur downright refused returning to heaven to ask his brothers, they were at a dead-end. 

“Let’s take a break then,” Alfred suggested. 

Arthur stared at him. “We haven’t even gotten an idea as to what this mess is and you’re suggesting a _break_?” 

“Hey, hear me out.” Alfred replied easily. “We’ve been at this for days and so far we have nothing right? Well this obviously means we have to change out strategy. So let’s walk around-“

“-we’re already walking-“

“-or sit down, whatever, and relax our brains for a while. Even demons and angels need to take it easy sometime right?” 

Arthur stared at him blankly for a few seconds. “…Are you serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Alfred blinked at him. Arthur continued to stare at him as if he was an idiot (which he was) until something clicked in the demon’s head. He frowned. “Seriously? Because I’m a demon? Come on, I thought we were passed this!” 

“We are certainly _not_!” Arthur retorted. “Just because we have a deal _does not _mean we are passed this!”__

__“Angels are about tolerance and forgiveness and all that shit aren’t they?” Alfred deadpanned. “How about you do that then since, you know, _you’re an angel_?” _ _

__Arthur twitched. “I’ll do that when you keep your end of the deal and tell me why I have headaches and the sudden ability to sleep and dream. You should be able to do that since, you know, _you’re a demon_.” _ _

__“Hmph, touché.” Alfred chuckled. “I’m not sure on the specifics but all of that you just said is a side effect of this goddam spell. That’s what I’m guessing it is anyway. You’re the prime example of what happens when someone enters a place they’re not supposed to Artie. They get messed up.”_ _

__“Don’t call me that!” Arthur snapped. “And if this is the spell’s doing, then why aren’t _you_ affected?” _ _

__Alfred shrugged and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Who knows? Maybe because I used to be human and have a soul or something…”_ _

__“You used to be human?” Well _that_ was interesting. He would have never guessed such a high-ranking demon could have been mortal. Arthur wondered how he had looked like as a human and the image of the blond teen from his dreams popped up only to be quickly dismissed. _ _

__Alfred stopped walking. Arthur couldn’t see the expression on his face since the demon was staring at the ground though the grimace on the other’s face was clear as day. Arthur felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He hadn’t meant to pry on something that was obviously so intimate and personal._ _

__“…Yeah…”Alfred uttered, a hint of nostalgia creeping into his voice. “I don’t remember everything, just the important stuff. I was born in America, Virginia I think, around the 19th century. My dad died in a factory accident when I was 4 or 5 and my mom…” Alfred hesitated for a second but continued. “Well, she was human. Committed so many sins after he died I feel sort of proud of her as a demon. She forced me to work in the same factory my dad died in a few weeks after the funeral…though I shouldn’t complain since that was normal back then…”(3)_ _

__Arthur remembered his dream about the boy _(It couldn’t be. There were many powers he held as an angel but dreaming about a demon’s formal humanity was not one of them.)._ He recalled the blade the boy held. “How did you…” Arthur trailed off, not knowing how to ask the question without sounding rude (something was wrong with him if he trying to be polite to a demon). Alfred breathed out a laugh. _ _

__“…become a demon?” He guessed. He raised his head so he could look at the angel besides him. Arthur was shocked to see Alfred’s eyes had somehow gotten darker but not in a menacing way. They had gotten warmer, the color of the sky. There was also a hint of a smile, not a grin, on his face and Arthur found himself thinking that Alfred was quite attractive this way. “I met someone. Someone who I sort of owe my life and devotion to even if he is kind of a jerk most of the time. He’s _my_ jerk though so that’s okay.” _ _

__Alfred didn’t give Arthur time to respond. He checked his watch for the time and cursed. “Shit it’s four. Francis- you remember him right? Frenchy author? You should really read that book of his by the way- is going to have a fit if his little kid isn’t home by now. I gotta leave but I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye Artie!” He gave Arthur a short wave before disappearing from Arthur’s sight._ _

__Arthur stared at the place where Alfred had been for some time. He was confused but this time it wasn’t because of Alfred. It was his own bloody thoughts giving him a fit this time. “I’ve been spending too much time with Antonio.” He muttered before also disappearing but to his flat. He needed a drink._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to say happy new years to all you wonderful people and thank you so much for following me throughout this story. Every time someone reviews or favorites this story I get motivated to write again so thank you all for sticking with me so far. This fic is far from finished and, as confusing as it is right now, I hope you guys continue to enjoy it. Happy new years and have a wonderful year since all of you deserve it! 
> 
> (1) I’m pretty sure the people who’ve seen Supernatural (which is a really good show and everyone should go watch it when they have the chance) know what I’m talking about when I mean a devil’s trap. It’s basically what the name implies. It’s a design that is used to trap or ward off demons from a certain place. You can go to the Supernatural wiki or google image to see what it looks like.  
> (2) “Esto es tan confundido” means “This is so confusing” in Spanish  
> (3) Alfred is referring to the time when child labor was still legal and so little kids as young as the age of 5 could work in factories. This was during the 19th century, as he said, when the Industrial Revolution had taken over the world. Back then it was normal for children to work more than 12 hours a day for only pennies a day to support their families. It was common for workers to get hurt on the job or die, like Alfred’s father. Of course the family wouldn’t be recompensed when it did happen which was one of the reasons why children chose to work in the first place.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s been weeks since he’d last seen Alfred. Strangely, Arthur can’t locate him anywhere. During that time, more is revealed than Arthur had ever wanted to know.

Four months. That’s how long it had been since he’d last seen Alfred. 

Arthur furiously stacked the books into their proper places all the while muttering colorful insults directed at the target of his frustrations. He was tricked once again and by the same demon at that. There were no words for the amount of shame he felt at the moment. Who did that demon think he was, suddenly disappearing like that? The nerve of him! Weren’t they supposed to be working on a case that he forced him into in the first place? Did Alfred finally deem the whole thing a lost cause and abandon the city before things worsened? _Did that bloody demon think he could just leave Arthur and-_

“Well it wasn’t as if I was his only reason for staying in the city.” Arthur grumbled bitterly. “He did mention he was looking for someone. Perhaps he found them and left.” 

He didn’t know why the idea irritated him. 

Arthur picked up another book and practically slammed it onto the shelf. He should have killed Alfred when he had the chance. If he had then he wouldn’t be in whatever mess the demon had gotten him in. Ironically, things were much simpler when he was only hiding from the other angels in heaven. 

He grabbed another book carelessly and was once again about to shove it into the shelf when it was swiped away from him. Arthur stared at his empty hand and then at the culprit in confusion. Antonio simply glared at him. 

“ _Dios mio, Arthur, calmate!_ ” Antonio huffed. He carefully placed the book on the shelf and then snatched a couple more from the open box near the blond and repeated the process. “You’re going to ruin the covers. These are paperback, they rip easier! Would you want to pay for ruined books _cejas_?” 

“Sorry…” Arthur muttered, helping the brunette with the remaining boxes. He was careful not to damage the covers. Antonio, while usually cheerful, was utterly terrifying when he was angry. He had only seen the brunette furious once, when a group of men had been harassing a young boy, and it was something Arthur did not wish to see again. Antonio had the eyes of a demon when he was angry and it was disturbing how fitting they were on him. They fit him better than a certain blue-eyes demon, anyway. 

The two worked in silence until Antonio decided to break it, like he always did. This time, however, instead of the out of place questions that annoyed Arthur to no end that he would usually ask, Antonio sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked tired. Of what exactly, Arthur wasn’t sure. “It’s supposed to be bad for your skin if you worry so much.” 

Arthur paused in organizing the books. “What are you going on about?”

“Every time you come to work, you look you’re going to blow a blood vessel.” Antonio tapped the side of his head for emphasis. “And that makes you and your eyebrows scarier. You’re starting to scare aware the customers with your glare, too.” 

Arthur fisted his hand but refused the urge to deck the brunette in the face. There were children in the store that did not need to see that. “You’re exaggerating.” 

“You yelled at a girl yesterday _amigo_ because she didn’t know where the classics were. That’s not normal for you. Usually you would just complain about people quietly instead of making them cry.” Antonio tsked as if he was lecturing the blond-which, to Arthur’s annoyance, he probably thought he was. “It took me a long time to cheer her up.” 

Arthur opened his mouth to retort but Antonio beat him to it. There was a hint of a smirk on his face as he spoke. “You know, if you were an angel then you would be a really bad one. Good thing you’re not one, _no_?” 

_That_ made him reconsider things. He was an angel, a creation his father had made to protect humans, not to make them cry. Even if he had run away from heaven, he still had a duty to do and he had completely forgotten about it ever since Alfred came up to him with the ridiculous case. Guilt flooded him the more he thought about it. What kind of angel was he, putting himself and his problems first when they were innocent humans that needed his protection? Was that the reason his grace has been acting up lately? Had it sensed his selfishness and punished him accordingly? 

He didn’t deserve to be an angel. 

There was a hand on his shoulder, slightly shaking him out of his thoughts. Antonio looked at him with worry. “Are you all right Arthur? You spaced out for a while…” 

“Fine.” He mumbled. Antonio wasn’t convinced.

“Do you want to take a break-“

“I said I’m fine.” Arthur repeated again, rather harshly. He turned back to the books he had not stacked and continued his previous action. He didn’t have to look at the brunette to know that he was frowning. He couldn’t see the pensive expressive on his face though. 

“Hey, Arthur…”

“What?”

The brunette hesitated for a few seconds before continuing. “You know we’re friends, _sí_?” So if you ever need help in something, I’ll try to help.” 

Arthur chuckled, a sardonic smile on his face. “I’m not so sure you could help me with this particular problem Antonio.” 

Antonio, instead of a grimace Arthur thought he would make, simply looked amused at his words and winked. “You would be surprised _Arturo_. There is a lot you don’t know about me yet.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

The weeks passed by smoothly, with the only problem being the constant headache that Arthur had learned to ignore, and the blond woke up to a bright and sunny afternoon feeling absolutely exhausted despite the hours of sleep he had just gotten.

His head felt worse than usual to the point where he was dizzy, much to his confusion. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears and a high pitch ringing breaking his eardrums. Arthur tried to heal himself but the feeling only intensified. He cried out.

Arthur faintly heard footsteps and then his door slamming open as his mind clouded over. He saw a flash of blue and green before he passed out.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“It is getting worse faster than I thought it would.” Francis looked dismayed as he looked at the unconscious blond. “ _Mon dieu_ , this changes everything.”

Antonio looked up from where he was examining Arthur to look at Francis. “What are you going to do?”

“I am sure you already know.” Francis smiled bitterly at him. “ _Rosbif_ has already told you everything, after all.”

“The future can change. “Antonio sighed. “And I don’t know _everything_ , just what he told me and he didn’t even know that much.” 

“Really.” Francis said incredulously. He walked over to where Arthur was and gently placed two fingers on the blonde’s forehead. Almost instantly, Arthur relaxed. “I find it hard to believe that Arthur, of all people, did not know all the details of his own fate.”

“Then why didn’t he tell me everything?” Antonio blinked in confusion.

Francis chuckled. “He always did enjoy playing games.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_Arthur waited patiently for the children to come out of the factory. The sun had set long ago and it had even begun to snow though he didn’t feel any of it. Then again, he didn’t feel much these days. Only a burning curiosity was left which led him to where he was._

_Humans were boring. It was always the same things with them- the constant worries, the stupidity, the desire for something more- and the constant repetition grew tedious after the first few centuries. Arthur had always wondered why his “father” was so enamored with them, so much that he had stopped showing his affections to the angels, but as the children tiredly filed out of the building and headed home, he could begin to see why._

_Never had a human sparked his interest as much as Alfred Jones did. There was no exact reason why that was, at least one that Arthur could think of anyway. Perhaps living for centuries on end had done something to him. Or maybe it was the angelic grace that he could feel every now and again messing with him. He wasn’t quite sure what to blame for the sudden interest in a human, and a thirteen year old at that._

_“Arthur!” The blond saw the young boy he had just been thinking about running towards him. Despite working a 15-hour shift, the boy did not have the exhausted expression the others wore. His grin practically radiated cheerfulness, as did his eyes._

_To think Arthur was the reason for that have him a feeling he had ever only felt for his father. Fondness._

_The corner of his lips lifted up slightly. Alfred was always surprising him, it seemed._

_“Hello Alfred.” Arthur said once the boy was within hearing range. He began walking towards the town, Alfred in tow. “How was work?”_

_“Same as always.” Alfred shrugged. “Oh, but after lunch a kid broke his hand trying to unjam one of the machines. Mr. Reever told him he can’t come back to work anymore.”_

_Arthur did his best to hide his smile behind a cough. “Is that so?”_

_“Mh-hmm.” Alfred hummed. “Hey, Arthur…that’s not going to happen to me, right?”_

_“Of course not.” Arthur responded. “And even if it did, that’s what I’m here for aren’t I? You have nothing to worry about, Alfred.”_

_Alfred beamed. “You’re the best Arthur! I’m so glad we’re friends!”_

_Was that what they were? Was such a thing even possible? This time Arthur did not hide his amused smile. He was quite glad to have such an interesting contractor, even if it was for only a short time._

_“So am I.”_

\-------------------------------------------------------------

When Arthur finally woke up, he saw Antonio sitting besides him with a cup of what smelled like tea in his hands. The brunette smiled down at him and offered him the cup. Arthur sat up and took it without a word, all the while staring at the brunette cautiously.

“It’ll help with the headache.” Antonio added. Arthur nodded and took a sip, silently relishing in the familiar taste. Much to his surprise, the pain did lessen. He looked at Antonio suspiciously. 

“Antonio, what are you doing in my flat?”

“Your front door was open so I let myself in.”

“That’s not what I meant-“

“I know.” Antonio interrupted him rather quickly. It was only now that Arthur noticed that there were no traces of a smile on his features. The brunette was dead serious. “I know you want to know why I’m here and how I know about your headaches and other things but it’s not the right time for explanations. I promise to explain things when I can, okay?” 

Arthur shook his head. “What is going on? How do you-“

“You’re still a bit woozy, _sí_?” Antonio once again interrupted him. “Perhaps you should go take a walk and clear your head.” Finally, he gave him a small smile. “ _Quién sabe_? Maybe you’ll find some of the answers during that.”

Arthur sighed. He guessed it couldn’t hurt.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

He had not been out for more than twenty minutes when he bumped into Francis.

“Ah! Monsieur Arthur, yes? It seems we meet again.” Francis extended his hand out in greeting and Arthur shook it politely. “It is a nice night for a walk, don’t you agree?” 

Arthur nodded in agreement. Francis smiled at him. 

“What do you say I treat you to that cup of tea I owe you?” 

Well, it wasn’t like he had anything better to do. And maybe another cup of tea was just what he needed to relax. “Sounds lovely.” 

Francis grinned. “Then _allons nous_.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Francis led him to the small café Arthur liked to frequent on occasions and ordered two cups of tea. Once the two were seated, and their tea served, Francis asked him the inevitable question. “Have your read my book yet by any chance?”

Arthur shook his head and took a sip of his tea. “It’s been quite a challenge to get a copy, I’m afraid.” 

Francis breathed out a laugh, looking more rather amused than disappointed. “I see. I don’t normally do this, but would you like to tell you what it is about, to quench your curiosity for a bit? Perhaps it would even help you understand the meaning better.” 

“I don’t see why not.” 

“It is about a boy and an angel.” Francis began. “More specifically, an angel who fell from heaven and the boy who made a deal with him.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_“How would you like to make a deal with me lad?”_

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Arthur winced at the sudden pain in his head. Francis either didn’t notice or choose to ignore it. He continued on.

“It is a common story, I know, but it quite different I assure you. The fallen angel grows attached to the boy he contracted with and vice versa. As he watched the boy grow, he begins to regret ever making the deal. He does not want to take the boy’s soul after the ten year deadline, but a deal is a deal is it not?”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_Since when, he wondered, had he grown so attached to that smile?_

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“So he gave the boy a choice.” Francis scowled a bit. “Live in hell as the others like him do or become a demon. Either choice is not pleasant, mind you, but it _is_ a way out of an eternity of misery.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_He needed that smile with him even if it would grow as twisted as his own._

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“The boy, now a young man, chose the latter option obviously but not because he didn’t want to go to hell. No, over the years he had grown to care for the fallen angel and also did not wish to leave him. Being offered to stay by his side was a wish come true. Of course, things are never that simple. The fallen angel had made many powerful enemies over the years, both angels and demons alike, and the two beings finally decided to come up with a plan to rid themselves of him once and for all.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_Being summoned right into a devil’s trap wasn’t something he was used to but, even so, he knew the dangers that were associated with it. It was quite a surprise however, to see his former siblings and current ones- if he could even call those bloody demons that- on the other side of it._

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“It is a very complicated ritual, even I do not fully understand it, that sends the person into another time as a completely different person. The best way I can hope of explaining it is that it is literally a fresh start.” Francis’s gaze connected with his, sending another jolt of pain through him. “The fallen angel was once again an angel. And he did not remember anything of his past. Only what he wanted to remember.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

  
_Arthur had no memory of how he had gotten there._

_He let out a puff of breath, watching how the dust particles danced away from him. The last thing he remembered was fighting a pack of demons that had ambushed him in the forest. They had gotten him onto the ground, growling about how they would rip his wings and halo right after they've had their fun with him, before they clawed at his torso. He had screamed and stabbed the demon on top of him, but he was outnumbered. He had lost consciousness once they bashed his head into the ground for the tenth time._

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_Heaven was in chaos. Ever since the news that their father had disappeared, not even leaving a bloody note or a sign that would allude to a recent return, the place Arthur had called home for centuries had become bitter. His brothers and sisters could not agree on what to do now without their father's guidance. Half of them believed they should wait until He came back while others thought it was for the best to forget about Him and rule heavens for themselves. Arguments turned into threats and threats turned into actions. It wasn't exactly a civil war yet but Arthur wouldn't be surprised if the trigger for it would be pulled very soon, or already._

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“And the only way for him to return is for him to realize all this and _wake up_.”

Arthur gasped and abruptly stood up, causing a few people to look their way. He stared at Francis, horrified. Francis, in return, blinked innocently at him in confusion.  
“Monsieur Kirkland? Is there something wrong?” 

“I-I just remembered I’m late for work.” Arthur stammered. He was pale and his hands were trembling. The pain in his head had increased with every word Francis had spoken, making him almost too dizzy to stand but he had to get out of there. He needed to leave now. “I’m sorry but I have to go.” Without saying a proper goodbye, he rushed out of the café and into the cold night. The moment the café was no longer in sight, he disappeared into his apartment. 

“Arthur?” Antonio looked at him with a small frown. He didn’t even look surprised that Arthur suddenly appeared. It was as if he was used to it. “Is everything okay? You look awful-“

“You owe me an explanation.” Arthur seethed. “Now tell me what the hell is going on.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Francis watched as Arthur left the café with a calculating look on his face. His tea already turned cold so there was no point in drinking it anymore but he still took a sip of it anyway. He sighed and stared out the window.

“You told him too much Francis-san.” A voice coming from the table behind him murmured. 

“It was necessary Monsieur Honda. Time is running out. If we can not make him return by his own will…” 

“Still.” Kiku sighed. “I’m worried. Alfred-san will not be happy about the sudden change of plans.”

Francis scoffed. “It is his fault for being caught and sent back. He will just have to deal with it.” 

“Francis-san…are you sure you did the right thing?” 

At this the blond smile sardonically, his eyes staring at the direction Arthur ran off to. “Who knows? Even angels make mistakes, mon cher.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was anyone expecting this turn out? Come on, I'm curious. 
> 
> ((And I'm really sorry for not updating in months. School's been really stressful lately but it's recently calmed down since the school year is ending soon. I'm going to try to write more now that I have a bit of free time.))


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antonio finally explains everything.

“Stop glaring at me.” Antonio sighed. “It’s unnerving.”

The two sat in the living room, far apart from the other as they possibly could. Antonio sat on the loveseat, fidgeting with his clothes every now and then, while Arthur sat in a plush chair drinking a cup of tea (its ability to soothe his headaches were outstanding but the mystery as to how it was able to do it was still left unexplained, just like everything else, much to the blonde’s annoyance). 

Arthur finished his cup before responding. “I’ll stop once you answer my questions.” 

Antonio let out an aggravated sigh. He knew he was going to have to explain everything eventually, but now that the time had come-and at a much faster rate than he was mentally prepared for- he was dreading having to say any of it. It wasn’t because he was afraid Arthur wouldn’t believe him- that was the last thing on his mind. He would mostly ask him about himself and his relations to what was happening, which meant there might be a chance he would have to explain about his past as well. And he really didn’t like to remember any of it, especially his time in Italy. 

But a deal was a deal, a soul-binding one at that, and it was time for him to finally fulfill his end of it even if he didn’t want to. 

Reluctantly, he forced himself to talk. “You saw Francis today, right? What did he tell you?” He began. 

Arthur’s eyes widened for a second before returning to glaring at him. Antonio half wondered if his face would stay that way. “How do you know Francis?” 

“We were…” He hesitated for a moment, “friends.” He finally said. It wasn’t the word he was looking for, but it was close enough. Apparently Arthur did not think the same, since he glared even harder at him. 

“And how did you know we met today?” 

“I’ll explain later.” Antonio promised. Arthur scoffed but said nothing else. The brunette took this as a sign to continue. “What did he tell you?” He repeated. 

“Nothing much.” Arthur said. “I bumped into him on my walk and he invited me to tea. He was summarizing the novel he wrote, that’s all.”

“But what did he _say_?” 

Arthur hesitantly repeated what Francis had said. Antonio hummed in contemplation. 

“So he was implicit.” Damn, he should have known Francis would only say enough to mess with Arthur’s head. Francis hated being the bearer of bad news, especially when it concerned people he cared for. “Did you experience any memories? Anything that felt familiar while Francis was talking?” Arthur’s silence was all he needed. “You did. That’s good, this won’t be too bad then.” He hesitated. He might as well get it over with. “I should start with myself then.” 

It took him a few minutes to continue. “I’m Antonio Fernandez Carreido, 26 years old, born and raised in Spain, but you already knew that. You and me were…friends, kind of.” He really needed to find better words to describe his relationships. “It was about a century ago but we had a bit of a fall out and we’ve stayed distant ever since.” 

“You’re not human.” Arthur gathered. Antonio noticed his fingers twitch and swallowed the urge to tell the blond that a demon blade wouldn’t work on him. He’d let Arthur figure that out on his own. 

“I am. You’re an angel, you can see my soul can’t you?” Arthur stared at him for some time before muttering a confirmation. Antonio smiled a bit. “Right now I’m human but I wasn’t always one…anyways-!” Antonio changed the subject. He was beginning to develop a headache from remembering his past. Arthur didn’t need to know the specifics about him anyway. “Where do you want to start?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow at the sudden dismissal but, if he was bothered by it, then he didn’t show it. Antonio was grateful Arthur was more concerned with his own affairs than Antonio’s. “From what I’ve heard so far, it looks like Francis’s novel is more than just a work a fiction. He was trying to tell me something.”

Antonio nodded. “ _Sí_ , but he didn’t do a good job at it.” 

“That book has something to do with me.” Antonio nodded. “Then why did you take it?” 

“You weren’t supposed to find it so soon.” He explained. “That book is your life story and if you were to read it before you remembered-“

“Remembered _what_?” 

“Who you are.” Antonio said. “Specifically, _what_ you are.” 

Arthur let out a frustrated sigh. “Will you stop being so vague and just explain things? If I’m not an angel then what am I?” 

“I never said you weren’t an angel-” 

“ _Antonio_.”

“-well, you _were_ an angel.” Antonio ignored the menacing look Arthur was giving him and continued his explanation. “A very loyal one, at that.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_“I should have known you were here.” Francis appeared a few feet from where Arthur was. Arthur didn’t acknowledge the other’s presence. He simply continued to look out the window. They were in a man’s- he wasn’t quite sure who’s; all human’s ended up looking the same after a few centuries- personal heaven, a spacious Parisian manor built in the 18th century with an extraordinary view of the city below. It wasn’t what Arthur usually would have sought out, he would have much preferred the one with the English countryside at sunrise, but he hadn’t wanted to be found. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it was his vice-captain who did. “You often said you hated France with a passion. A perfect hiding place, if I was not ordered to look for you.”_

_“If I’d known you would find me, I would have gone somewhere else.” He watched the Parisians through the giant window the room had. They strolled through the city appearing ready and excited to enjoy Paris and all she had to offer. It always surprised him how tangible personal heavens seemed. And to think they could only be created from a human’s desires. Humans were truly an intricate piece of work._

_“You’ve stopped listening to me, haven’t you?” Francis sighed. Arthur was the type to stop listening to someone when he didn’t want to listen to the other’s opinion. “Stubborn as always it seems.” He gently tapped Arthur’s cheek a few times until Arthur snapped out of his thoughts and slapped his hand away, all the while glaring at the older angel. The corners of Francis’s mouth lifted but it wasn’t really a smile. More like a tight grimace. “Now that I have your attention, let’s get down to business oui? We are late for the meeting-“_

_Arthur scoffed. “Do you honestly believe this is a meeting? Things have been chaotic ever since Father disappeared and with no proper leadership to stop some of those idiotic archangels-!” He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “This isn’t a meeting, Francis. It is the beginning of a bloody civil war.”_

_Francis looked away. “I know that but we cannot do anything. We must do what we were made to do- fight.”_

_“I don’t think I’ll be able to choose a side.” Arthur confessed. He had returned to looking out the window but Francis could see the terrified look his eyes held. “You know how I feel about archangels. Their bastards, every single one of them. I don’t agree with how they think heaven should be.” He let out a shaky sigh. “I can’t choose, Francis. I can’t.”_

_Francis looked at him sympathetically. “If you do not, it will be considered treason. They will make an example of you, especially so since you are a high rank.”_

_“I know.”_

_Arthur’s eyes never left the window._

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Antonio frowned. “Apparently, not choosing a side is considered as an act of betrayal for angels. If you don’t fight, you don’t care for your family. It’s almost as bad as committing a sin, and the punishment is pretty much the same.” He hesitated but continued at Arthur’s look of impatience. “Disownment.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_The archangels were being especially cruel today. They didn’t even hesitate to grab him and force him on his knees. Their grip on his shoulders dug deep into his skin, and their rough handling of his wings made him wince. He tried to look up at his assaulters but his head was forced down to look at the floor of the courtroom._

_“Final chance, brother.” One of them said. “Choose a side and fight. Fight for your family, for your Father. He would want you to do so.”_

_“As if he would.” Arthur snapped. “Our Father would want us to get along, to stop this fighting and do what we were made to do- protect humans. Not arguing over who gets to be the leader like a bunch of children! I refuse to be a part of any of this!”_

_There were mutters of disappointment all around him. The hands on his wings and shoulders tightened their grip. “We have no choice then. You know the rules for treason, brother. You are forever band from ever passing through the gates of heaven ever again.”_

_The angels holding him down slashed his wings in one fluid motion. Blood spilled everywhere, staining his clothes and hair dark red._

_Arthur screamed._

_He screamed his throat raw and didn’t stop. Not at Francis’s cry, not at the sudden heaviness that consumed his body, not at the sensation of falling from heaven as he headed towards the human world at a staggering speed._

_He only stopped when he crashed into the ground and was knocked unconscious._

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_When he did finally wake up, the first thing he did was try to wash the blood away. It never left his hair._

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“As you know, fallen angels are different from demons.” Antonio continued. “They are still technically angels but at the same time they aren’t. Their souls turn darker, almost like a demon’s, and their wings turn black. They don’t really belong to any species so they live a life of solitude most of the time. You, however, did not do that.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_Arthur watched from afar as a group of men struggled to hold down the possessed women and exorcise the demon inside her. She snarled and clawed at them, growling things that made the men occasionally let her go out of shock. Arthur smirked. Honestly, it was so easy to mess with a human’s mind. All it took was mentioning a loved one or a mistake committed. With such a fragile mentality, they would never be able to defeat any demon, let alone an angel._

_Which is why it would be so easy to get their cooperation._

_In a second Arthur was in front of the woman, his demon blade lodged deep into her chest. The woman glared at him for a moment, muttering something in a strange language, before the demon was forced out of the woman’s body and back to the depths of hell. Arthur pulled the blade out and let the body fall the ground._

_Almost instantly there was a stake pressed against his neck. “What are you?” One of the men said. “What did you do to her?!”_

_“She’s dead!” One of the men who had gone to check on the fallen woman said._

_Arthur tried his hardest not to roll his eyes. “She was already dead to begin with. For a few months, if I were to guess. Perhaps if you lot were to have exorcised the demon in her sooner, she’s had been alive right now.”_

_“What are you?” The man repeated. “A demon?”_

_“The demon called him a ‘tainted angel’.” Another man-a priest, judging by his clothes, said. “You are a fallen one.”_

_Arthur nodded._

_“Why did you help us?”_

_“It’s because we have something in common.” Arthur responded. “Angels, demons, I hate them all. I want all of them gone so I’ll help in anyway I can to do so. Even if that means helping incompetent humans like you who have no idea what they’re doing.”_

_The priest looked at him. “Why are you so willing to destroy your own kind?”_

_“Neither one is my kind.” Arthur raised his voice, making the men take a step back. He smirked. Humans were so easy to intimidate. “And even if they were, I have my private reasons for doing so. As I was saying, I promise to aid you in anything you need for this but it will come at a price. Agreed?”_

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“You became an informant for hunters,” Antonio said,” and developed a large contact and source list. You wanted to annoy as many angels and demons as you could, which you did. You ended up being considered dangerous to both species, so you decided you lay low for a while. That’s when you met Alfred.” Antonio frowned. “I think.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “You think?”

“You don’t like talking about that time.” Antonio shrugged. “Something about it showing weakness. All I know is that you met Alfred when he was a human boy, made a deal with him, and turned him into a demon after his contract was done. He’s been with you ever since.” 

“So Alfred isn’t the one doing all this to the city.” 

“He’s actually trying to stop it.” Antonio replied. “The ones who did it were the angels and demons who thought you were too dangerous to keep alive. Gilbert- do you remember him?- was one of them.” 

Arthur scowled. “How could he be in the city if no supernatural beings are allowed in?”

Antonio hesitated. “He’s like me. He was originally human but then changed into a demon. Right now, though, he’s human again.” 

“You’re making this up.”

“I’m not.”

“The only way I think of that allows a demon to turn human is to take its soul and purify it. Only an angel can do that.” Arthur said. “Which angel in their right mind would do that to, not one, but two demons?” 

Antonio cheerfully pointed to him. Arthur blanched. “It’s a long story and, to be honest, I don’t want to get into it. It’s not important right now, anyway. What _is_ important is that, now that you know, you have to go back as soon as possible. You’ve already noticed the side affect of the spell, _sí_? Well, it will only get worse the more time you’re here.” 

“If that’s the case, then why was I sent here in the first place?”

“Francis said the angels underestimated you.” Antonio explained. “The spell requires an angel’s and demon’s blood, along with the soul of the person they are sending away. The soul is molded, so to speak, into something that it had always wanted to be, so it is a new beginning for the person. They thought you would choose to be human for some reason…if they had any idea you’d wanted to revert back into an angel…” 

“It’s like a demon being given grace.” Arthur concluded. “A contradiction that should not be allowed to happen. That’s why this time period is suffering isn’t it? It’s trying to isolate and fix the problem before it gets destroyed.” 

Antonio nodded. 

“So if the problem gets destroyed, everything reverts to normal.”

“Yes, but that’s-eh?” Antonio panicked when he saw the empty chair in front of him. “Arthur?”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

The angel grunted when he was slammed into the wall. A hand gripped his neck tightly, choking him, as an angel blade pressed against his cheek. The angel glared at his assaulter, noticing for the first time the electric blue eyes. He sneered. “Kirkland’s pet. Out getting revenge for that dead son of bitch?”

Alfred snarled and pressed the blade in deeper, enjoying the way the angel screamed at the pain. “Listen here, asshole. One more fucking word out of you and this blade will be lodged in your eye got it?” The angel glared but stayed silent. “Good. Now, you’re gonna help me with a little ritual or I swear to that fucking god you love so much that you’ll suffer so much you’ll be begging to go to hell after I’m done with you. _Is that clear_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter isn't really part of the story but it's important. It'll be Alfred's recollections of his past with Arthur.   
> And regarding Antonio's past... since it's a bit complicated and long, I was thinking about writing an individual fic for it (the main characters would actually be Lovino and Feliciano, though). Thoughts?


	8. Intermission: Alfred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lonely boy makes a deal with a fallen angel and lives with the consequences of his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't really a part of the storyline, but it does explain a few things. Plus, I just really wanted to write Alfred's part in all this.  
> Also, there's a slight mention of suicidal thoughts.

Alfred kicked the dirt beneath his shoes-worn out and falling apart from the seams- as he made his way back home. He had worked a long day today, longer than usual actually, but he couldn’t complain. He needed the money to survive (his mother didn’t need any more because the only thing she ever spent it on was a bottle of alcohol). It had been like this for a while, ever since his father died in that factory accident and completely left him and his mother dirt poor and miserable. There was no food, no water, hell, they barely had a roof under their heads, if the poor excuse of a shack could be called a home but nothing was done about it for weeks. His mother, so depressed over the loss of her husband and the only person she cared for, completely shut down. Alfred was left on his own at only the age of seven. 

It wasn’t difficult to get a job. Factories were always working to employ children since their small hands could unjam the machines whenever it was necessary. All Alfred had to do was walk in and ask for any available jobs and he got it. He had never worked until now so the sudden strain of it all had almost been too much for him. Plus, knowing that he would only be earning a few pennies a day for so much work just seemed unfair to him but it’s not like he could do anything about it. Alfred needed all the money he could get. 

The boy looked at his surroundings cautiously before taking out his paycheck to gaze at the amount he had earned. It wasn’t much but it was _something_ and he knew that there were many people willing to do unspeakable things for a bit of money. His own mother, now a sad and violent woman who spends her time at home with a bottle of liquor in hand, was one of these people. She had snatched his first paycheck from him- he had been so excited about finally having money that he made the mistake of showing it to her- and disappeared for a few days. When Alfred came back from work a week later, he found her on the floor smelling like alcohol. He had not shown her any of his paychecks, or even shared the money, since. 

His next few paychecks were spent on a second-hand jacket and some food. He was even saving some of it. For what, he didn’t know, but he figured it couldn’t hurt. 

Alfred stuffed the slip of paper back into his pocket and continued with his trek back home. He passed a few kids he recognized worked on his floor and gave them a smile. They waved and continued on their way. The smile easily slipped off his face. It was getting harder and harder to smile nowadays He used to be able to laugh and grin like it was nothing but now it almost physically pained him to even lift the corners of his mouth into something that wasn’t a grimace. He wondered if he was sick or something. 

_It’s probably just a cold_ , he told himself. He was overexerting himself so much that he had gotten sick. He’d be better in no time. 

He tried his best to ignore how that didn’t explain why he felt so empty all the time. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Alfred sat behind one of the factory’s walls, not caring that the snow was seeping through his pants. He tucked in his knees and wrapped his arms around them, watching the dark sky blankly as the snow continued its descent. He was exhausted. A fifteen-hour work shift on only three hours of sleep would do that to you. He knew that was unhealthy, and that he should be getting way more sleep than he was receiving these past few months, but what was the point in doing so? No one was going to worry about him. He was an easily replaceable employee- he had seen way too many kids suffer that fate- especially because he was now one of the oldest in the factory which meant he couldn’t unjam the machines as well as the younger kids. 

Without taking his eyes from the sky, he unwrapped one of his arms from his knees and tucked it in into one of inner pockets of his jacket. He fingered the switchblade he had taken from his supervisor when he wasn’t looking. _It looks brand new so the blade must be really sharp_ , he thought. 

For a moment he contemplated on what it would be like to take the blade out of his pocket. It would be so easy, he supposed, to just grab the blade and slice his wrists. Blood would be everywhere, staining the snow so much that it would look like he had spilled paint all over. He wondered what would get him first- the blood loss or the cold. Either way he would finally get to have a peaceful sleep, one that wouldn’t be interrupted by the thought of work or his mother’s drunken rants. 

It was a very tempting thought. 

“If I remember correctly, giving into temptation is a sin, lad.” 

Alfred was brought out of his thoughts by an unfamiliar English accent. A man, in his early twenties at most, with the darkest shade of red hair he had ever seen and the most memorizing green eyes, kneeled in front of him. The men stretched his hand out, and Alfred thought he was going to shake hands with him, but was surprised when he went for the inside of his jacket. The switchblade was taken away with a slight smirk on the man’s face. Alfred immediately tried to get it back but the man made it so it was out of his reach. “That’s mine.” He fumed. 

“Is it now?” The man mused, flipping the blade so it was exposed. “And why does a child have such a dangerous thing with them? Were you planning on killing someone?” A knowing glint passed through the man’s eyes that made Alfred shiver. 

He ignored the fear that was filling him and glared at the man. “I found it.” He lied. “Give it back.” 

“A word of advice.” The man said, ignoring Alfred’s previous statement. “ _This_ ,” He waved the blade around,” will not solve anything. All it will do is send you to a place where no one will give a damn about you. And I am not talking about hell, boy.” 

“I’m _already_ living in a place where no one gives a damn about me.” Alfred muttered, bundling up his fists in pent up anger. “It’s not like it matters.” 

The man stared at him with the first serious expression Alfred had seen on him since their encounter. “You’re alone.”

“Yeah, so?” Alfred huffed. 

“Do you want to be?” Alfred stared at him. “Alone, that is.” The man explained. 

Alfred frowned. “Why do you want to know?” 

At this the man chuckled, a wicked smile on his face that matched his eyes. “I’ll make you an offer.” The man continued. “I’ll give you the affection you want, care for you and love you just as a brother would, and in return, you give me your soul in ten years time. A very good deal, considering many in your _occupation_ don’t live that long.” 

Alfred continued staring at the man with a blank expression, not understanding what the man was saying, until something in his mind clicked. His father used to love saying that if Alfred wasn’t a good boy, then a demon would come in the middle of the night and take him away. Alfred stared at the man with blood red hair with wide eyes. Apparently he wasn’t kidding. “You’re a demon.” He breathed. 

To his immense surprise, the man scoffed and looked annoyed. “You can rest assured, boy, that I’m not one of those filthy creatures. I’d rather smite myself first than become one of them.”

“Then…”

The man sighed. “Do you know what happens when an angel goes against his brothers, even if he’s in the right?” He didn’t give Alfred time to even think it over. “He gets his wings slashed and is cast down from heaven, forced to live a life of solitude for eternity because he is neither an angel nor a demon.” 

“So, then you must be pretty lonely too.” Alfred guessed, feeling a bit of sympathy for the man in front of him even if he wasn’t supposed to. “It feels awful, huh?” 

“Yes, I suppose it does.” The man smiled bitterly and his eyes had a melancholy mood to them. Alfred felt even more sympathy for him. They both knew what it was like to be alone, to be cast out by people who once loved them. This man, fallen angel or whatever he was, could understand how he felt. Perhaps that was why Alfred opened his mouth and asked for the man’s name. 

The man stared at him curiously but eventually he answered his question. “Arthur. Arthur Kirkland.” 

Alfred extended a hand out to Arthur, who was still looking at him oddly. “Nice to meet you Arthur. I’m Alfred. And I want to make that deal with you.” 

Arthur was silent for a few moments before he chuckled and accepted Alfred’s hand. “It is a pleasure doing business with you, Alfred. However, you don’t seal contracts with a handshake. _This_ is the proper method.” Then he pulled Alfred forward and sealed the deal. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Alfred quickly made his way through the factory and to the exit. Work had just ended a few minutes ago and he wanted to go outside so he could go home with Arthur. 

It had been a few months since he met Arthur and he was surprisingly happy. Arthur, as promised, treated him like a younger brother. He always took and picked up Alfred from work, ruffled his hair fondly, read him bedtime stories, taught him things, cooked for him (even if it did always end up burned), and, most importantly, smiled at him. He liked having Arthur as an older brother, especially because he knew he would not leave abandon him (not until the contract ended, but he preferred not to think about that). 

Once the exit was in sight, Alfred ran towards it and was greeted by the dark sky. He looked around and almost instantly spotted the mop of blond- Arthur, for some strange reason, liked to change his hair to blond when he was around people- outside the gates. He sprinted towards him, a large grin on his face. “Arthur!” 

“Hello, Alfred.” Arthur smiled at him. Once Alfred was beside him, he began leading the way back home. “How was work?” He asked. 

“Same as always.” Alfred shrugged. “Oh, but after lunch a kid broke his hand trying to unjam one of the machines. Mr. Reever told him he can’t come back to work anymore.” 

“Is that so?” Arthur coughed. Alfred thought he saw him smile but decided he was imagining things. 

“Mh-hmm.” Alfred hummed. “Hey Arthur…” He hesitated a bit before continuing. “That’s not going to happen to me, right?” A few months ago, he wouldn’t have minded being injured or worse but now that he had Arthur…well, things were different now. 

“Of course not.” Arthur responded, and for a minute Alfred thought he had read his mind again but the blond continued. “And even if it did, that’s what I’m here for aren’t I?” He gave him a small smile. “You have nothing to worry about, Alfred.” 

Alfred felt relief wash over him and his grin returned in full force. “You’re the best Arthur! I’m so glad we’re friends!” 

Arthur looked at him fondly, his smile growing a bit wider. “So am I.” 

They held hands until they returned home. In the quiet night, with Arthur by his side, Alfred thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad giving his soul to him. 

 -------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s been almost ten years since we’ve met.” 

Alfred paused in eating at Arthur’s sudden statement and looked at the man in front of him. Arthur held his cup of tea with both his hands and was staring at the liquid blankly. Alfred knew he wasn’t going to look at him anytime soon. That’s just how Arthur was, avoiding eye contact when he felt even the slightest bit uncomfortable. It was things like this that made him forget that the man across from him wasn’t human. 

Despite what Arthur’s statement implied, Alfred let out a laugh. “You sound so sentimental.” He teased lightly. “Are you regretting it?” 

“Absolutely not.” Arthur scoffed. “I’m eagerly counting down the days when your soul is mine.” 

Alfred did not miss the slight twitch in his fingers. Without thinking, he reached across the table and gently unclasped one of Arthur’s hands from the teacup so he could hold it. He felt it jerk slightly in his grasp, as if Arthur was going to pull it back, but it tensely stayed in his hold. “I don’t mind, you know, giving my soul to you.” He offered Arthur a smile but the other still wouldn’t look at him.

After what seemed like hours, Arthur finally let out a sigh and looked at Alfred. His expression was as apathetic as ever but if he looked hard enough, Alfred thought he saw genuine adoration in those eyes. 

He tightened his grip on Arthur’s hand. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Alfred sat at the edge of his bed, staring at Arthur’s pocket watch as both the little hand and big hand slowly made their way to the top. Just a few more minutes and it would be midnight, signaling that is had been exactly ten years since Alfred met Arthur and contracted with him. Only a few more minutes until his death. 

Arthur wasn’t with him. He hadn’t been so for the entire day and it hurt Alfred that he had been avoiding him today of all days. Was he going to be present when Alfred died? Was Arthur going to kill him himself? _How_ was he going to die? Even though he had told Arthur hundreds of time that he didn’t mind having his soul taken- and he still didn’t mind- he had never really thought about how exactly his life was going to end. Arthur had never brought it up and Alfred was silently glad he hadn’t. He comforted himself with the thought that maybe Arthur would make it as painless as possible. 

The hands on the pocket watch kept moving. 

_Three minutes left._

He wondered if he would ever get to see Arthur again. 

The faint rustling of wings startled Alfred out of his thoughts. Speak of the devil… 

Arthur looked absolutely _livid_ and for the first time in ten years Alfred felt terrified of him. “Arthur, what’s-“ He was cut off by the smoldering look Arthur sent his way. 

“It’s all your fault.” He growled, walking towards the bed and grasping Alfred’s shoulders harshly. Alfred flinched at the harsh grip but didn’t pull away. He didn’t know if he could. “This was supposed to be a simple contract. I indulge a pathetic boy in his idiotic desire and tear his soul from his body when the time comes, without a second thought. I am not supposed to be hesitating and yet I am! It’s all your fault, you-!” Arthur stopped himself, screamed in frustration, and then rested his head on Alfred’s shoulders. Alfred hesitantly placed a hand on Arthur’s hair, cautiously running his fingers through the red locks. 

_One minute left._

“I could annul the contract right now, if I wanted to.” Arthur eventually murmured. “You would live on with your life for a few more years, perhaps marry and have children, and when you finally do die, you would go to heaven. I would never see you again. ” 

_Thirty seconds left._

“Then don’t cancel it.” Alfred said. “Arthur, I want to stay with you. Whatever I have to do, I’ll do it ‘cause I care about you and I know you care about me, contract or not. So, let’s just keep being together, okay?” 

“Stupid boy.” Arthur raised his head from Alfred’s shoulder and stared at him with a mixture of fondness and amusement. “Who ever said I was planning on revoking our agreement?” 

Alfred chuckled and glanced at the pocket watch. There were ten seconds left. “We’ll stay together, right?”

Arthur also glanced at the watch. “In a few seconds you’ll be mine so of course we’ll be.”

“Promise?” 

“Promise.” Arthur pecked him on the lips just as it turned midnight. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Alfred watched on with amusement as Arthur talked to a few hunters about a business deal. The humans were obviously terrified of him and it was funny to watch them try to threaten Arthur into giving them the information they wanted. They should just accept the deal Arthur had offered them and be done with it. It wasn’t like he asked for their souls, anyway. Alfred sat on the ground when the hunters began arguing again. This was going to take a while, he mused. 

A lot of things have changed since he became a demon-his hair was now black, and he had horns and wings that he still wasn’t used to, but at least his eyes were the same- but the best part of it all was that he was with Arthur. Honestly, he hadn’t expected to be with thrown into a world full of supernatural beings constantly fighting each other, but it was way more fun that his human life ever was, excluding his last ten years of life of course. 

Plus, he always got a thrill seeing Arthur intimidate others since he was actually quite nice. 

One of the hunters thought it was a brilliant idea to try and attack Arthur with a normal blade. Arthur scoffed and, in a second, had the blade in the hunter’s chest. Alfred laughed. 

Well, he was nice to _him_ , anyway. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

He was gone.

Francis and him had arrived too late.

Alfred stared in stunned silence at the sigil surrounded by holy fire, where Arthur had been only moments before. He had heard the rumors going around about a few demons teaming up with the angels to rid themselves of Arthur, but the idea had sounded so preposterous that he hadn’t believed it. He hadn’t actually thought that Arthur was considered that much of a threat. 

And then Francis had come barging in to their home and hysterically told him that everything was true. 

Now Arthur was gone. There was only a black, leather book in his place. 

“We’re too late.” Francis sighed. “They have already completed the spell.” 

“Francis,” Alfred forced himself to speak, eyes never leaving the fire,” what does that spell do? Does it…?”

“ _Non_ , it does not kill him.” Francis answered. “Not immediately, anyway. To put it simply, it sends him to a new time as whatever he wishes to be. If he is a human there then there is no problem but if he returns to being an angel, for example, he and that time will be destroyed. Either way it is a win-win for the angels. They have been talking about recreating the future for _centuries_ now-” 

“Do you know where he is?”

“What?”

“Do you know where Arthur is?” Alfred snapped. 

Francis frowned at the harsh tone but nodded. “I have a very good idea of where they sent him.”

“Good.” Alfred said. “Cuz I’m getting him back.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Francis explained that the spell requires both an angel and a demon as the casters, so Alfred racked his mind for any demons that were on Arthur’s good side. There were a few but, for one reason or another, couldn’t be contacted much to his annoyance. There was always the option of Alfred himself being the caster, but Francis had immediately shot that idea down because his pronunciation was horrible. 

They were both relieved when Kiku, one of the demons close enough to Arthur that they could almost be called friends, appeared and said that he would do it. Francis quickly instructed him on what to do and soon enough Alfred found himself in the middle of a freshly drawn sigil. 

“Are you sure about this, Alfred-san?” Kiku asked. “By what Francis-san has said, Arthur-san will not remember you at all. You will also not remember anything because of the spell, but it will be only for a short while since your soul was originally human. However, there is no telling what will happen because we do not know what you will be or do once you are over there.” 

“I’m sure.” Alfred grinned. “Someone has to go and save him, might as well be me. I sort of owe him anyway.” 

“Remember, monsieur.” Francis said, handing him the black book that had been left in Arthur’s stead. “You are to find Arthur and _subtly_ make him remember who he really is as fast as possible. The more time he spends there, the faster that time will collapse. Do not patronize him into remembering and do not tell him outright anything from his life. And most importantly, you must not open this book. Only Arthur can, but do _not_ let him open this book until he has come to terms with his life.” 

Alfred took the book and stared at its cover. “What happens if he opens it before then?”

“That he will remember everything, freak out, and do something that will damage the time he is in.” Francis said. “Do _not_ let him open it. I have put a safeguard on it just in case so if he dares open this book without my consent, it will disappear.” He pointed to the bottom portion of the cover, where his name was written elegantly in cursive. “The same goes for you, monsieur. It will disappear from you if you get too curious about its contents.” 

“Got it.” Alfred nodded and stuffed the book in his jacket’s inner pocket. 

“Ah, one more thing.” Francis smiled without a hint of humor in it. “If I catch you breaking even _one_ of these rules, I will personally send you back to this time with a knife in your chest. Understood?” 

For the first time since becoming a demon, Alfred felt a shiver of fear run down his spine. “Yeah…I promise not to do any of that.” 

“Perfect. Then monsieur Honda and I will begin.” Francis patted his shoulder and retreated to where Kiku was standing. “Good luck, Alfred. Try not to cause a panic before I arrive, oui?” 

With that, the two began the spell. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Alfred looked around the forest and tried to remember how the hell he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was being in hell, messing with a few low-level demons. Did one of them get the best of him and sent him to the human world without him knowing? 

He was going to have a nice chat with them later on. But first, he was going to inspect that attractive presence that had caught his attention. 

Now, he wasn’t an idiot. He knew that the presence belonged to an angel, and a very strong one at that, but he was curious as to why this certain angel didn’t repulse him like any other angel did. His curiosity was peaked so why not take a look? And if the angel was looking for a fight, well, Alfred would gladly indulge it. 

He took his time walking through the forest until he eventually stumbled upon a scene that made him stop in his tracks. The angel he had been sensing was being ruthlessly attacked by a group of low-level demons. Blood was spilled everywhere, explaining why Alfred was able to sense the angel so easily. He watched as the angel tried his hardest to fight back, but it was obvious that he was outnumbered. He would be torn to pieces soon, probably. 

Alfred had no idea why that thought pissed him off as much as it did. 

But he didn’t question it, not even when he walked right where the other demons could see him and let his presence known. He smirked faintly when the demons visibly cowered at seeing him. “You’re in my territory.” He growled. “ _Fuck off_.” 

The other demons glowered but immediately left the area. Alfred felt his smirk grow wider. He loved being higher-ranked. It meant that they had to listen to him no matter what. 

A cough brought his attention to the angel. He was looking worse for wear, with his torso and head bloodied up so bad that a human would have been dead already. His erratic breathing was slowing down as he fell to unconsciousness. Normally, in situations like these, Alfred would either leave the angel to die or finish he job himself but something made him hesitate. Even though the angel’s eyes were more than hallway shut, Alfred thought he saw just the slightest bit of green before they fully closed. He was overcome with the sudden feeling of nostalgia and longing. 

He knew who this angel was- he was considered a very dangerous enemy to hell and its army- but why was Captain _Arthur Kirkland_ having this affect on him? They had never met face to face until now, so what the hell was happening? 

“Guess there’s only one way to find out.” Alfred carefully picked up Arthur. If he remembered correctly, there was a cabin not too far from here. He could take Kirkland there and fix up some of those wounds. Repayment will follow after, of course. Alfred looked down at Kirkland’s face, a mischievous grin on his own face. “You know, you have really bad luck. You made me curious about you…”

He began his trek to the cabin, thinking that he was going to have so much fun with this angel. “And I don’t stop ‘til I’m satisfied.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things that should be mentioned that could not be fit into the chapter:  
> -As soon as Alfred made the deal with Arthur, the two moved into a nicer house that Arthur just so happened to "find." Alfred never saw his mother after that.  
> -There is a reason why Arthur chose to contract with a kid and why he gets so mad that he grew too attached to Alfred.  
> -Even if Arthur did fall, Francis still checks up on him from time to time. Francis is Arthur's eyes in heaven.  
> -Angels can travel through time, but it takes a lot out of them. Francis gets to Arthur's current time by using his angel powers instead of the spell, hence why he remembers everything when he gets there. He can't take Alfred because he's a demon. Kiku eventually goes to that time using the spell as well, but Francis was there to snap him out of it.  
> -Alfred thinks he's a high level demon and messes with Artie for a while (the prologue) until Francis literally slaps him out of it and he's able to remember why he's there. So Alfred is his normal self starting from chapter 1. 
> 
> Okay, I think I got it all.  
> There should be about two more chapters left, plus an epilogue, and then this fic is (finally) over.


	9. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the world is collapsing around them Gilbert reminisces the past, Alfred returns, and Arthur comes to a decision.

Gilbert lit a cigarette and placed it between his teeth, inhaling quite a bit so he could taste the nicotine. He rarely smoked since it took more than just a few to affect him, but this was a special occasion. It was the end of the world, after all. 

Gilbert temporarily took out the cigarette and exhaled. He watched as the smoke quickly dissipated because of the wind but grew bored and turned his attention to the potted plants Natalia had somehow talked him into placing on the balcony. The flowers were dead even though Gilbert had just watered them this morning. From below him, he could see that the backyard was in the same situation. 

He didn’t need to be a demon to know that the world was dying. Death was everywhere and it would only get worse the longer Kirkland stayed. 

If he were still a demon, he’d be enjoying having a front row seat to all the destruction, but, unfortunately, he was human and therefore defenseless against what he himself helped caused. 

No wonder Kirkland had sent him to this particular time. Even after so much time had passed, he still wanted to see Gilbert at his lowest. Though he had to admit, being human wasn’t all that bad. He had experienced things he had scoffed at as a demon and had decided that maybe humans weren’t as miserable and weak as he had thought. It was a learning experience, you could say. He even had a good laugh at seeing Kirkland as an angel again. He had forgotten how _chivalrous_ the man was during that time. 

He’ll admit that Arthur Kirkland, in all his angelic glory, was the last person he had expected on his doorstep. Of course he hadn’t know that Kirkland didn’t remember him and had panicked, thinking that the fallen angel was here for some unfinished business. It had taken Natalia quite some time to convince him otherwise. And, _oh_ , the hysterical laughter he let out when he saw it was true. He was glad that he was such a good liar. It felt good to deceive Kirkland. 

The manuscript that Antonio had sent him was nothing but a bunch of German words organized in random order, except for the last page. There, written in English, was a messy explanation written by Antonio telling him why this Arthur didn’t know him and to stay out of their way until he went back to his time. Gilbert only obeyed because he knew that no matter what, he would still end up in the same situation if not worse. 

Besides, it wasn’t like he _could_ do something anyway. Interfering with whatever Kirkland was doing would just cause him more misery. 

“Gilbert.” Gilbert jumped and accidentally dropped his cigarette onto the balcony floor. He huffed and angrily turned to where Natalia was standing in the doorway and glared. 

“ _Gott verdammt_ , Natalia! Don’t sneak up on me while I’m thinking! How do you even do that anyway?” 

Natalia ignored Gilbert’s question and pointed to the dead plants. “We should leave before it gets worse. Humans can still exit the city. We’ll be fine if we go now.” 

“Nah, we’ll be okay here.” Gilbert dug through his pants pocket for another cigarette and lit it up. He offered another one to Natalia but she refused it. 

“You see the dead flowers.” She pressed. “How are we safe here?” 

“We’re not.” Gilbert shrugged. “But nothing’s going to happen so quit worrying.”

“And how do you know that?” Natalia snapped. 

Gilbert let out a puff of smoke before speaking, which only irritated Natalia further. “Because you and me are still here, that’s why.”

“That makes no sense-“ Natalia stopped as she finally understood what Gilbert meant. “We’re still humans.” 

“Yep.” Gilbert gestured to the backyard. “Which means that everything goes according to what Tony said would happen and Kirkland goes back. So, this should be cleared up pretty soon so relax already and have a cigarette with me.” 

Natalia frowned but did not reject the cigarette offered to her. “You rarely smoke. Why now?”

“I’m mourning the end of the world.”

“You’re an idiot. Make sense or else.” 

Gilbert rolled his eyes. “I mean it’s the end of my world.” He elaborated. “Kirkland’s going to go back soon and he’ll be out for my blood when he does.” He took another puff of his cigarette. “Which means my past self is _fucked_.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Alfred looked around the small apartment with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. He had no idea of how he had gotten into this unknown place. Actually, he could’ve sworn that he was in his bedroom not too long ago. How the hell did he end up here?

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of the front door opening. Panic filled his mind. He really hoped the resident would let him explain first before calling the police. 

“Ah, you’ve come back.” The man- he was French, judging by the accent, spoke to him almost coldly. Beside him, a brunette man was staring at him cautiously. “I am not surprised at all. In fact, I am shocked you took so long. Many things have happened Jones and, according to Antonio, you are the only one who can fix it.”

“Um…” Alfred didn’t know what to say. His mind was still reeling from being in a stranger’s home so the only thing that came to his mind was “who the hell are you and how do you know my name?” 

At this, the Frenchman looked at him with a blank look. Alfred squirmed under the intense gaze and grew uncomfortable when the man’s eyes widened. “Huh…”   
“What is it Francis?” The brunette- Antonio, if Alfred was right- asked curiously. 

“I can’t sense any demonic presence in him.” Francis explained, eyes still not leaving Alfred. “He is human.” 

Antonio blinked. “Is that possible?” 

“ _Oui_.” Francis nodded. “It is possibly because of the barrier surrounding the city. He would not be allowed entry were he a demon so he was turned human. However, I’m wondering if this is a good thing or not.” 

Alfred watched the two converse and came to the decision that he had stumbled into a horror movie and would be dead soon if he didn’t get out of here. He desperately looked around for any other exit but the only one was the front entrance, which was blocked by the two men. Maybe he could make a run for it…

“Francis, I think we’re scaring him.” 

“Hm?” Francis returned to looking at Alfred. “Oh, right. I almost forgot. Jones, do you know why you’re in this apartment?” 

Alfred shook his head. “No.” Then, hesitantly, he added. “Look, I don’t know how I got here and I’m really confused and I have a test tomorrow so I’m just going to leave and pretend this never happened-“ 

“Before you leave, would you mind doing us a favor?” 

Alfred suppressed a groan. “What is it?” 

In a blink of an eye Francis was right in front of Alfred. “Please wake up, _monsieur_.” Then he pressed his hand to Alfred’s forehead. 

Alfred screamed at the blaring pain that erupted in his head. It had hurt so much that he collapsed onto his knees all the while clutching his head. This only lasted a few seconds, however, and he soon straightened up and gave the amused angel the best glare he could at the moment. “That hurt.” He looked down at himself and grimaced. “Ugh, I’m human. This is the last thing I wanted to be right now.” 

“Then you shouldn’t have come back.” Francis shrugged. “Though, I suppose it is good you did. As I said before, many things have happened while you were gone.” 

“What happened to Arthur?” Alfred demanded. “Where is he?” 

“He’s missing.” Antonio answered with a sigh. “I was explaining to him some things which ended in him flying away somewhere.”

Alfred glared at him. “What did you tell him?”

“…He asked me to tell him the truth.” Antonio replied hesitantly. “And I did.” 

“You _what_?” Alfred growled. “Why would you do that?” 

“We are running out of time.” Francis said. “It was the last option we had left. I should have expected that he would blame everything on himself and attempt to mend everything. He was exactly like this when he was an angel. Always stubborn.” 

“And _how_ , exactly, is he _mending_ things?” Alfred narrowed his eyes at the two, who, much to his annoyance didn’t seem threatened. He really wished he wasn’t human right now. 

It was Antonio who answered this time albeit reluctantly. “…We think he’s going to sacrifice himself so everything goes back to normal. It won’t happen though!” He quickly said when he saw the look of pure rage on Alfred’s face. “Not if you get there in time and talk him out of it. He won’t listen to us so you’re our last option.” 

“And how do you know he’ll listen to me?” Alfred frowned. 

Francis just stared at him. “You are an idiot if you are asking that question. He has _always_ listened to you and it has cost him dearly. Not that you know that.” A book appeared in his hands and Alfred recognized it as the black one he wasn’t supposed to open. “Convince him to open it as soon as possible. The spell is already destroying this city and I have to leave before it realizes I’m here. _Monsieur_ Honda has already gone back so you will be on your own.”

“Arthur’s at nearby park.” Antonio added. “Good luck.” 

The two watched as Alfred contemplated something before letting out a string of curses and snatching the book from Francis. Once the door slammed shut, Francis turned to Antonio. “Is this all according to plan?” 

“ _Sí_ ,” Antonio nodded. “Everything will go back to normal soon after this.” 

“And you will still not tell me why you are human?” 

“Sorry, I can’t.” Antonio smiled apologetically. “It would mess up the past.” 

Francis sighed. “I feel restless because of all the things you’re hiding, _mon cher_.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll find out eventually.” Antonio couldn’t help but feel sad because he knew it was true.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Arthur tucked in his knees and let out another sigh. He knew what he was supposed to do, but that didn’t make it anymore easy. There were still many things he was contemplating and wanted to know the answers to, and he wasn’t quite sure he could handle dying not knowing.

He knew of the spell that Antonio and Francis had mentioned. It was considered forbidden and was supposed to be destroyed so no one could use it. To think that his brothers- well, prior brothers- could hate him so much that they would fraternize with demons against him… 

To add to that, what Antonio told him was still running through his head as well. He didn’t really want to believe it all, but, in some odd way, it did make sense. Then again, the entire thing seemed so impossible that Arthur had a hard time accepting it. It was easier to believe that everyone was consorting to fool him. 

But still, he knew what he had to do. Even if he used to be a fallen angel, he was no longer one in this time. He had a responsibility to the world and the creatures that his Father loved so dearly. 

An angel blade materialized in his hand just as he heard someone screaming his name. He looked up and almost dropped the blade. 

A human stood in front of him with a determined look in his eyes. Blond haired and blue-eyed, he was eerily similar to… 

Arthur’s eyes widened. 

Alfred merely gave him a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the final one, not including the epilogue.


	10. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur finally wakes up.

Arthur sat there gaping at what appeared to be a human version of Alfred while an onslaught of emotions- nostalgia, longing, fondness- overwhelmed him. He had seen him as a human before, when Alfred would turn into a child during their many battles, but never as a human adult. The sight of Alfred, with that strangely familiar smile, had such a strong reaction on Arthur that he barely kept his grip on the blade. It was slowly slipping from his grasp and would’ve fallen to the ground had he not realized what was happening and quickly tightened his grip. 

Alfred’s eyes flickered to the blade and his smile slowly disappeared. “Arthur…” He said with gentleness similar to how one would speak to a scared animal, and Arthur felt a stab of annoyance at that. He was an angel- or, at least, he was; if what Antonio said was true anyways- and didn’t need to be treated as inferior or weak, especially by the man in front of him. 

To add fuel to the fire, Alfred decided that it was safe to take a few steps towards him. Arthur gritted his teeth and pointed the blade to Alfred to stop him from getting too close. It seemed to have worked, since Alfred stopped. His shoulders were tense, his eyes never leaving the blade as he spoke, as if preparing for Arthur to throw it at him. “Arthur, put the blade down.” There it was again. That tone of voice that Arthur hated. He’d rather hear Alfred’s teasing to hearing that understanding tone. As if Alfred- the bloody demon who been a nuisance since they’d first met- could understand anything about him. Even if what Antonio and Francis said was true and Alfred was actually an important person in his life, that didn’t mean anything. That was another time, another life. What mattered to _him_ , the current Arthur with angelic powers, was to fulfill the duty he was created for. 

And that’s why he repositioned the blade so it would point to him and thrust it into his chest. 

His wrist was grabbed just as the blade’s tip was millimeters away from breaking skin. Arthur was so shocked that Alfred had been able to stop him that he didn’t even notice when the other grabbed the blade and threw it behind him, far away for Arthur to reach. He did, however, notice how frightened and angry he looked. “Are you insane?” Alfred practically shouted, grabbing Arthur’s shoulders and shaking him as if it would make him see reason. “Goddamit, Arthur, why are you even doing this?!” 

“Why?” Arthur scoffed. “You’re asking me _why_ I’m doing this? You of all people should know the answer to that, Alfred. Antonio told me everything.” 

“Then you should know that there’s another way besides killing yourself!” Alfred snapped. Then, in a gentler tone, he said,” Just come home, Art. We can leave this damn place behind and continue on with our lives. Please just wake up already.” 

“These humans are in danger. I have to do something. It’s my obligation.” Arthur pressed, no longer looking at Alfred. It was a weak argument, but he could think of nothing else. He knew everyone would be safer if he would just accept everything and go back to his time, but he was hesitant to do so. The spell allowed its victim to start over as whatever they wanted to be, so to become the fallen angel that he used to be…did he really want that? If he was content with his life, then there should’ve have been no reason for his former self to choose to become an angel again. There was the chance that his former life was worse than his current one. Why should he return if that were the case? 

“You’re taking being an angel way too seriously!” Alfred shook him again. “Why do you even care about these humans? They’re awful! They’re not worth your ti-“ 

“That’s enough!” Arthur snapped, materializing a knife in his hand and pressing it to Alfred’s throat. Alfred went still as he felt the cool metal on his skin, but still managed a smirk. 

“Go ahead.” He urged. “Do it. Let’s see if you can.” 

Arthur glared at him and pressed the blade further enough for a small amount of blood to seep out. Alfred’s mouth twitched at the pain but the smirk didn’t falter. A few more seconds passed. The blade didn’t move any further. Arthur pulled in the blade and cursed. “Damn you.” 

“Told you.” Alfred grinned. “You can’t kill me.” He pulled out the black book from his jacket and offered it to Arthur. “Now, open this so we can go home and go back to normal, okay?” 

“No.”

Alfred blinked. “What?”

“I’m not opening that book.” Arthur said.

“You have to!” Alfred insisted. “That’s the only way to get back. Why wouldn’t you…“ His eyes widened as realization slowly dawned on him. Arthur felt a mixture of emotions at seeing the heartbreak on his face. “You don’t want to go back.” 

Arthur said nothing. 

“Why?” Even though Alfred’s eyes were wide and glistening with unshed tears, the anger was clear in his eyes. It reminded Arthur of an inconsolable child. “I don’t get it...you said we’d always be together. Don’t tell me you’re backing out now?” 

Arthur considered explaining to him his reasoning, but the expression on Alfred’s face left him frozen in his tracks. He couldn’t understand why seeing Alfred so upset affected him so much. He shouldn’t be feeling so guilty, but he did. Why did he feel guilty? 

“I don’t understand…” Arthur seethed. “Why do you talk as if I’m important to you? And why can’t I ever kill you? What the bloody hell are you to me, Jones?” 

Something flickered in Alfred’s eyes, but it was too fast for Arthur to identify it. Then, before he knew it, he felt one of Alfred’s hand grasp the back of his head and pull him forward into a bruising kiss. Arthur stiffened instantly at the contact and brought his hands up to Alfred’s chest to forcefully push him away, but there was something in the way Alfred tasted, something so warm and oddly familiar, that made him wrap his arms around his neck to bring him even closer. 

This wasn’t like the first time Alfred had kissed him when he had saved him from the group of demons. That was lust, this wasn’t. It was still full of passion, but it was more than that. There was desperation, affection, and more that Arthur could not fully comprehend. It was making him lightheaded, to be honest, but he never once thought of breaking away. 

Alfred was the one to end the kiss though he didn’t move far, just enough for him to rest his forehead against Arthur’s. He was panting harsher than Arthur was and his face was flushed, but it was still obvious that he was satisfied about something. He muttered something, though Arthur hardly heard him because he himself was still recovering. Alfred gently pried Arthur’s arms from his neck to put a bit more space in between them. When something was placed into his hands, Arthur looked down and jolted when he saw the leather bound book. 

“We have a special relationship, Arthur.” The corners of Alfred’s mouth lifted up into a small, distraught smile. It took a moment for Arthur to realize he was answering his question. “You’re the only one who’s ever given a damn about me, and I don’t want to lose you, so _please_ open the book.” 

Arthur tried ignoring how Alfred’s voice broke at the end, but it was near impossible not to notice. Guilt overwhelmed him again, and before he knew it his hand was at the edge of the book, ready to open it. 

He took one more glance at Alfred. The hopeful expression on his face was all the motivation he needed to grasp the cover and open the book. 

A scream escaped his throat the second he did. He clutched his head as it exploded in pain. His eyes were shut closed, so he couldn’t see how the book in his lap glowed white or Alfred’s look of concern. Snippets of events flashed through his mind at a rapid pace, and it felt like his head was about to split in two from so much information at once. 

Arthur didn’t stop screaming until the pain dulled and eventually disappeared all at once. Slowly, he let his hands drop to his sides and stared at Alfred. Alfred hesitantly inched a bit closer to him when the blond didn’t say anything. “…Arthur? Are you ok-ow!” Alfred yelped and brought a hand up to his shoulder where Arthur had struck him with the book. “What was that for?!” 

“For taking too bloody long, you idiot!” Arthur glared at him, though there wasn’t any malice to it. Just annoyance. “Honestly, if you had taken any longer this time would’ve collapsed and we both would be dead!” 

Alfred rolled his eyes. “Well, _excuse me_ , for trying to help you! You’re so damn stubborn even as an angel! I was so close to strangling you sometimes!” 

“That sentiment goes both way.” Arthur swatted his shoulder again, making Alfred pout. “I don’t remember raising you to be so aggravating. How on earth you ever ended up like this I’ll never know.” 

Alfred opened up his mouth to retort when the full comprehension of their argument hit him all at once. “…You remember?” 

“Of course I remember.” Arthur deadpanned. “It wasn’t that long ago that you were still a child. A quite adorable one, too, who still followed everything I sa-gah!” Alfred tackled him into a hug and buried his head into the crook of his neck. 

“You’re finally back.” At the whispered words, Arthur’s expression softened. He carefully wrapped his own arms around Alfred to which Alfred tightened his hold on him. He didn’t mind though. Arthur had gotten used to Alfred’s suffocating hugs a long time ago. “I missed you, you know.” 

“Idiot.” Arthur scoffed. “I missed you as well, even if you were insufferable most of the time.” 

“Hey, I came and helped you didn’t I?” Arthur was sure Alfred was pouting. “I should at least get a thank you. You have no idea what I had to do to even come back here a second time.” 

“You waited until the last minute to do so-“

“It wasn’t easy coming back!” 

“-but, I appreciate it.” Arthur pulled away enough for Alfred to see the small smile on his lips. “Thank you.” 

Alfred blankly stared at him for a moment before looking away, a blush appearing on his cheeks. “A-Anyways, we should probably be leaving now. There’s not that much time left before everything gets destroyed…”Arthur looked around and realized Alfred was right. He hadn’t noticed it before, but the grass around them had wilted. If he were to look at the trees above him he was sure the leaves were in the same if not worse condition. It wouldn’t be long until the humans began to feel the effects as well. 

“You’re right.” Arthur said. “Though I am going to miss seeing you as a human. It brings back memories.” 

Alfred stuck out his tongue. “Well, _I’m_ tired of seeing you as an angel, so we’re leaving. Um, how do we…?” 

“This book is more than just my memories, Alfred.” Arthur gestured to the black book still in his lap. He flipped through the pages slowly, allowing Alfred to see the strange text that he couldn’t understand. “Most of this book is written in the language of the angels, which is why you can’t read it. If you were a demon still, just seeing some of the language would pain you. The text itself isn’t important however.” 

“Then why are you telling me-“

“Shut up and let me finish.” Arthur silenced him. Alfred glared at him but let him continue without interruption. “What is important is the diagram on the last…page…” Arthur strayed away from his sentence and stared at the final page curiously. There was indeed a diagram on it, but it was partially covered by a small slip of paper. His eyes widened in interest as he read over the words that had been hastily scribbled into the paper. “Hmm…” 

“What is it?” Alfred tried moving a bit forward to see what had gotten Arthur so curious, but the blond immediately shoved the note into his pocket and stood up. 

“It’s nothing, just a final gift from a friend.” Arthur resisted a smirk when jealousy passed through Alfred’s eyes, and focused on the task at hand. Another blade materialized in his hand and he quickly sliced his palm open before Alfred could retaliate. As neatly as he could he traced the sigil with his blood while reading out the words above it. When he finished, the sigil began to glow. He offered his hand to Alfred. “Shall we?” 

Alfred grinned and took Arthur’s hand in his. “Hell yes.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

"It is about time you two return." Were the first words out of Francis's mouth when the two reappeared inside the old warehouse Arthur had originally been taken to. "I was beginning to think that Monsieur jones had failed in making you remember, mon ami."

Alfred glared at him and opened his mouth to say something when Arthur elbowed him in the ribs. “You’re lucky I’m grateful for your help, frog.” 

Francis winked at him. “I will take that as a _‘thank you for saving me from my idiocy’_.” 

“Why you-!”

“Welcome back Arthur-san, Alfred-san.” Kiku interrupted the impending argument and bowed. “It has been a while since we last met.” 

Arthur thought about the last time he saw his friend- well, they weren’t exactly that but the term was quite close to what they were. The last time he had seen Kiku was almost two years ago. “It has been a while.” He said. “We should have a cup of tea together soon. It’ll be my treat, of course, as a thank you for your part in all this.” 

Kiku nodded. “I would like that very much.” 

“I don’t get a reward?” Francis pretended to be upset and had to bite the inside of his cheek to not break into a grin. “And after all I’ve done for you-“

“One more word and I’ll strangle you.” 

“It seems being an angel has done nothing for your violent tendencies.” Francis laughed and quickly reached out to ruffle Arthur’s red hair. He was quick to snatch his hand back before Arthur (or Alfred) could slap it away. “That will be the death of you if you do not control it.” 

Arthur decided to ignore Francis and turned to Alfred, who was looking around the warehouse out of boredom. “How long have I been gone for, exactly?” 

“A little more than two years.” Alfred answered hesitantly. He knew where Arthur was going with this, and he didn’t like it. 

“Who’s been maintaining my affairs since my absence?” 

“…No one.” 

There was a long silence. Then, Arthur ran a hand through his red locks and let out a tired sigh. “Bloody hell. It seems I have a lot of work to catch up on. Alfred-“ 

“Yeah, I know.” Alfred said bitterly. “Contact the hunters in the current area to arrange a meeting and then get out of your way. It’s not my first time, Arthur.” 

Arthur raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything Francis cut him off. “It’s best if you lay low for a while after all this. Once the angels find out you’ve made it back, they’ll kill you.” 

Arthur scoffed. “As if they can kill me.” 

“This isn’t a laughing matter, Arthur.” Francis snapped, running a hand through his hair in aggravation. “There is no guarantee that they won’t try this, or something worse, again! The demons are still out for your blood as well!” 

“That won’t be a problem.” Arthur smirked, patting the pocket with the note inside. Alfred frowned but didn’t say anything. “I’ll have Beilschmidt keep them at bay.” 

“He is a powerful demon, Arthur-san.” Kiku informed. “And he was also a part of the ritual that sent you away. He won’t help you without a price.” 

“Like I said, it’s not a problem.” Arthur grinned, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust. “Because after I’m done with him, he won’t have any other choice.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Alfred sighed as he continued walking down the familiar path to the factory. Even after so many years, he could remember the exact way he and Arthur used to travel to his job- hand in hand, light chatter, the soft smile on Arthur’s face that would make Alfred feel like the luckiest person in the world…

Arthur. When was the last time they had properly talked? Ever since they both returned a few weeks ago, Arthur had no time for him anymore. Always busy with hunters and informants, the fallen angel was unapproachable nowadays. Not that Alfred really minded. He had been purposefully avoiding Arthur ever since they returned, so his constant busyness only made it that much easier to do so. 

There was something nagging at his mind. It had been there ever since Francis told him the details of the spell that has been used on Arthur. As much as he wanted to confront him about it, something was holding him back. He might have identified it as fear if the idea wasn’t so ridiculous. He was a demon and so held many powers that would only get stronger with time. Why would he be afraid of asking Arthur a simple question? 

Of course he knew the reason why he was so apprehensive, but he preferred to pretend that he didn’t. That would cause him to revaluate the one relationship that he held so dear for so long. 

Alfred didn’t bother entering the factory when he finally reached it. He stayed outside, leaning on the tree that Arthur would always be at when he used to pick him up from work. He scanned the factory grounds, trying to place memories with location, but couldn’t seem to do so. It had been so long since he’d last been there that his childhood memories of the factory seemed to all blur together into one. However, he could still vividly remember the snow-covered grounds and the weight of the blade in his jacket and how ready he was to end everything. Funny how he could properly remember when he met Arthur, but not how his mother or father looked like.

Snow began to fall and Alfred absentmindedly wrapped his jacket around him tighter. The cold no longer affected him, but it was a habit he never fully got rid of. He was so lost in his thoughts that the approaching pair of footsteps didn’t register in his mind at all until their owner’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. 

“It closed down several years ago.” Arthur said. “The factory, that is.” 

Alfred didn’t look at him. “I know.”

“Yet you still come. Did you enjoy working here so much?” 

“I like coming here.” Alfred shrugged slightly. “It’s nice and quiet, perfect for thinking. Plus, this is where we met. It’s special.” 

“Something has been bothering you.” 

“Nothing is.” 

“Then why aren’t you looking at me in the eye?” Alfred didn’t say anything and kept his gaze on the factory. He could hear Arthur huff in frustration. “You’ve been acting strangely ever since we’ve come back. You haven’t once begged me to accompany me on business, nor have you even attempted to talk to me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were ignoring- _damn it Alfred, look at me!_ ” 

“Why an angel?” 

Arthur momentarily forgot his anger and stared at him in confusion. “What?” 

Alfred took a deep breath and finally turned to look at him. “In that different time, you were an angel. I thought you hated them, so why were you one?” 

“There’s nothing to it.” Arthur answered blankly. “It was merely a coincidence, that’s all.” 

“Don’t lie to me.” Alfred growled. “I know the fucking effects of that spell. It lets you be anything you want, and you chose to be an angel. It doesn’t make sense! Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve always hated them and yet you become one the minute you can? I don’t understand it!” 

“Alfred, calm down.” 

“Do you miss being an angel?” He demanded. 

“Bloody hell, no!” 

“Then why?!” Alfred shouted desperately. He needed to know. The possible answers had been nagging at him for weeks. If Arthur truly wanted to be an angel again…if he wanted to leave him… 

“If you shut up for a minute, I’ll explain!” Arthur snapped. Alfred glowered, but kept his mouth closed. In a softer tone, Arthur spoke. “Do you know why I made a deal with you so long ago?” 

“What does that have to do with-“ Arthur glared at him. “…No.” Alfred answered reluctantly, a bit confused on where this conversation was going. Arthur seemed satisfied with his answer and continued. 

“It had only been a few decades since I’ve fallen when I met you.” Arthur confessed. “As I told you, I had made a name for myself by supplying hunters with the information they needed to track and kill both angels and demons. I was considered more of a nuisance than dangerous at that time, however, but neither side wanted to rid themselves of me for one reason- I had valuable information on their enemies. Because of this, my former brothers decided to try and bargain with me.” A sardonic smiled. “They said they would forgive my _traitorous actions_ if I were to redeem myself.” 

“They’d forgive you if you tell them what you knew.” Alfred guessed, fists tightly clenched in anger. 

Arthur nodded. “Yes.” 

“But you didn’t tell them.” 

“I didn’t.” Arthur confirmed. “I told them I’d rather have my wings ripped off a hundred times than become one of them again. Naturally, they didn’t take it very well and tried to smite me. They failed in that as well, of course, but from then on there was always one of them following me around from the shadows. It was annoying and I was beginning to lose business, so I had to do something about it. I decided to get a shield of sorts to ward off their attention.” 

“A shield…” Alfred mumbled. His eyes widened in horror when he realized what Arthur meant. “You mean-“

“Angels are soft-hearted for children, so a child would be the perfect distraction.” Arthur said. “Though it was a coincidence that I met you on that night. You were ideal for what I wanted, so I offered you something I knew you wouldn’t refuse. My plan worked, and the angels instinctively focused on you rather on me. After a few years they left us alone, however. Now that I think about it, they were probably waiting for the ten year contract to end so they could approach me again.” 

“So, all this time, I was just a shield?” Alfred growled. “Even now?” 

“Of course not.” Arthur deadpanned. “The only reason they would care for a demon is if they were planning on smiting it. At first, you were meant to be nothing more than a ploy to keep those damn angels away from my business. After that, I was planning on cancelling our agreement and setting you free. But then,” To Alfred’s surprise, Arthur’s voice grew more affectionate. “I grew to care for the boy I picked up on a whim. I didn’t want to let go, so I didn’t. I don’t regret taking your soul, Alfred. On most days, anyways.” 

“I told you I didn’t mind.” Alfred murmured. “I still don’t. But, how does this explain why you were an angel?”

“I was getting to that.” Arthur sighed. “I don’t miss being an angel, I never have. My best guess as to why I was one is because of you.” 

Alfred blinked. “Me? What the hell do I have to do with this?” 

Arthur stayed silent for a long time. It seemed that he wasn’t going to say anything, but then he took a deep breath and answered. “Recently, before that damn spell messed everything up, I began wondering what would have happened if I had accepted the angels’ deal…those feelings must have transferred over when the spell was cast.” 

Alfred didn’t need to ask for clarification. He knew what Arthur was trying to tell him. That didn’t mean he accepted it though. “You feel that bad about contracting with me?” 

“Like I said, some days I do.” Arthur sighed again. “It just so happened that that day was the day when I was caught. It means nothing, Alfred. If I had the chance to undo our meeting, I wouldn’t do it. Now, can we _please_ move on from this?” 

Alfred didn’t want to move on from this, but Arthur had that desperate look in his eye he rarely got that always made Alfred feel guilty, so he reluctantly dropped the subject. Arthur had given him way more information than he had expected, anyway. It was enough to know that Arthur actually did care for him. Well, it was enough for _now_. “Fine.” 

Arthur gave him a small smile of gratitude and took his hand in his. “Thank you. Now that you brought up the subject though, I have to ask- why were you both a demon and a human?” 

At this Alfred shrugged. “There’s no particular reason. It’s just that my happiest times are with you, so as long as I’m with you I don’t really care what I am, you know-hey! Arthur, where are you going?” Arthur had walked away from him in a rush. Alfred confusingly chased after him. When he finally caught up, he had to do a double take at the bright flush covering Arthur’s cheeks. He suppressed a grin. “You okay, Art?” 

“Perfectly fine!” Arthur snapped. “I just remembered that I have work to do this evening, so if you’ll excuse me-“

“Can I come?” 

Arthur stopped walking and looked at him surprised. “What?” 

“Can I come with you?” Alfred clarified. 

“I-I suppose so.” Arthur muttered dumfounded. 

“Great.” Alfred grinned, wrapped an arm around Arthur’s shoulders, and continued walking down the pathway. “So who’s the hunter this time?” 

At this, Arthur grinned. “Vargas. It seems he’s in a bit of a situation right now and needs my help.” Alfred felt him shift slightly and pull something out of his jacket. It was the slip of a paper that he had refused to show to him weeks ago. He handed it to Alfred wordlessly. 

Alfred scanned over the words curiously. “It all begins with the Vargas contract…” He said out loud. “So, there’s a demon who’s stupid enough to contract with a Vargas?” 

“It appears so.” Arthur said. “And if Antonio is right, that demon is Beilschmidt.” 

Alfred grinned and tightened his grip around Arthur. “This is gonna be fun.” 

Arthur said nothing, though the grin on his own face did get wider. 

The two walked down the familiar pathway in content silence, eager for what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished! (technically...) 
> 
> This took me forever to write (mostly because school started and then there's college applications to start working on and other stuff to do), and it's really long. I think it's the longest chapter in this story. I considered splitting this into two chapters, but I thought, since you guys put up with my lack of updating, you all deserved the whole thing at once. 
> 
> The ending to this is actually leading to another fic that's in the same universe as this one (the one with Lovino and Feliciano), but I have no idea when I'll start working on that...
> 
> Thank you all for putting up with me for so long! You guys are the best. And the epilogue will be way shorter, I promise.


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few decades after Arthur returns to his time.

Gilbert lazily drew random patterns on the mahogany desk, idly wondering how much longer he was going to have to stay in the room before the hunters would start questioning him. It hadn’t been very long since he had foolishly walked right into a trap (a devil’s trap at that) but the plainness of the small office was starting to irritate him. He wished they would just hurry up and do something. At least he wouldn’t be dying of boredom then. 

He started to tap on the desk in a messy rhythm with a pen he found inside one of the drawers. He briefly wondered where the hell Antonio was and why he wasn’t trying to rescue him. The bastard better have a damn good excuse for this or else. 

A few more minutes passed and Gilbert threw the pen in frustration. “Goddammit if you’re going to keep me in here any longer I’m going to kill you all much slower than I was going to!” 

“Is that a promise?” Gilbert froze then immediately tensed up as he recognized the voice. If he were human he would have paled and possibly screamed. Instead, he managed to hide his nervousness with a lazy grin, all the while making eye contact with a pair of amused, green eyes. 

“Kirkland.” Gilbert said. “Should’ve known you were behind this. Only you would think of using hunters to lure a demon in. I have to hand it to you. If it weren’t for the wings, I’d guess you were a demon.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Arthur smirked. He stepped into the devil’s trap and sat down on a nearby chair across from Gilbert. “Now, if we’re done with pleasantries, let’s get down to business shall we? I assume you know why I’m here.” 

Gilbert leaned forward in faux excitement. “Business? Don’t tell me the great Arthur Kirkland wants to make a deal with me? What do you want, huh? Oh, I know…” Gilbert made a faint outline of a halo on the table. “How about your grace?” 

The corner of Arthur’s mouth twitched. “I’d rather not.” 

“You sure?” Gilbert grinned. “It won’t cost that much. All you’ll need to give me is that demon that always hangs around you. What’s his name, it starts with an A-“ Gilbert backed up into his chair right before a deep crack was embedded into the table, almost splitting it in half. Arthur’s fist was embedded into the table and bleeding, fingers still trembling with fury. He no longer wore a smirk on his face. It was replaced by deep scowl as he glowered at the demon in front of him. A growl left his throat, giving Gilbert shivers of fear that he would later deny having. 

“You’ll leave him out of this.” Arthur spoke with a deadly calm. “Or I’ll change my mind and kill you right here on the spot.” 

Gilbert opened his mouth to retort but something that Arthur said caught him off guard. “You’re not here to kill me?” He asked instead, confusion written all over his face. 

“If I was planning on doing that, I would have done so already.” Arthur deadpanned. 

“Then what’s all this for?” Gilbert gestured to the devil’s trap imprisoning him. 

“It’s a precaution. I needed to make sure you wouldn’t run off before I said what I needed to say.” 

“You don’t say.” Gilbert raised an eyebrow. He had a bad feeling about all this, but he’d be damned if he let it show. “Go on, then. I don’t have all day.” 

Arthur let out an amused huff, irritating Gilbert, and began speaking. “According to several demons, you were the one who proposed the idea of sending me away.” Arthur said. “Not to mention you also participated in the spell. It doesn’t take an idiot to realize you want me dead, Beilschmidt.” Gilbert said nothing, but the slight twitch in his lips confirmed what Arthur said. Arthur continued. “Normally, I would embed a demon blade in you myself but that would be too lenient on you. I’m afraid you have to suffer before I allow death to claim you.” 

“And how are you gonna do that?” Gilbert scoffed. “By keeping me in here until I die of boredom?” 

“Not at all.” Arthur materialized a photograph and placed on the desk for Gilbert to see. It was a picture of a grandfather and his two young grandsons. Gilbert instantly recognized them. He had made a deal with two boys a few years ago. Something about bringing his grandfather back to life in exchange for their lives and then some. He didn’t know why Arthur was showing him the picture. 

Judging by the grin on Arthur’s face, his thoughts were clearly shown on his face. “Have you any idea who they are?”

Gilbert raised an eyebrow, suspicious. “They’re some kids I made a deal with.” He said cautiously. “Big deal.” 

The way Arthur chuckled made him feel like he had answered the way the fallen angel wanted him to. And he didn’t like that. “It was a contract you made eight years ago. These two brothers, ” He pointed to the two young boys in the picture,” desperately wanted to bring their grandfather back from the dead. In you avarice in wanting two souls for the price of one, you failed to do your research on this family, and so contracted with Lovino Vargas and Feliciano Vargas.” 

If Gilbert was human, then he was sure the blood would’ve drained from his face so fast he would’ve ended up dizzy. “Vargas,” He choked out in disbelief, “they’re fucking Vargas’?” 

“You seem surprised.” Arthur commented, another smug smile on his lips. “Surely you now realize why I decided not to kill you. To contract with, not one, but two Vargas’ of all people, not to mention the details of the contract...you’ve taken away both their futures. And I’ve heard that’s not all you’ve taken from them.” Gilbert visibly flinched. Arthur’s grin grew wider. “They’ll be out for blood, Beilschmidt- your blood. And when that day comes, I’ll gladly help them in their quest to ending that pathetic thing you call a life.”

“You fucker.” Gilbert tipped over his chair and charged towards Arthur, but the blond disappeared and then reappeared just outside of the devil’s trap. An invisible force stopped Gilbert from walking any further and he practically growled at Arthur. “I’m going to kill you when I get out of here!” 

Arthur laughed. “I would love to see you try. Until then, I’ll be eagerly awaiting the day the Vargas brothers knock on my door and humiliate you. Goodbye Beilschmidt. Do try to live until that day.” 

Gilbert continued to scream profanities long after Arthur disappeared from the room.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Arthur stepped through the building’s exit, humming a tune. He had barely taken a few steps before stopping in his tracks and looking to his left. “I know you’re there, idiot.”

Antonio stepped out of the darkness, eyes watching Arthur’s every move. He looked quite similar to his human counterpart, except for the horns and wings, but his expression was completely different from the cheerful one Arthur had grown to known. “Kirkland.”

“Carriedo.”

“Why are you keeping Gilbert? Are you going to kill him?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “It seems everyone is interested in that today. No, I’m not.”

Antonio looked surprised. “You’re…not?”

“Didn’t you hear me the first time?” Arthur snapped. “He’s already fucked anyway, what with the Vargas contract.”

Antonio looked confused. ”The what?” 

“Never mind.” Arthur sighed and continued his way out of the area, to where Alfred was waiting for him a few miles away. Antonio considered following him to demand an explanation, but Arthur quickly turned around and addressed him. 

“One last thing.” His face was as blank as ever, but- perhaps it was just a trick of the light- Antonio thought he saw Arthur’s eyes soften the slightest bit. “I left before I could say this to you, and though you’re not quite the same it’ll have to do.” Antonio opened his mouth to ask what he was talking about but, once again, Arthur beat him to it. “Thank you.” With that, Arthur disappeared, leaving Antonio even more confused than he was before.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

As Arthur appeared a few feet in front of Alfred, he couldn’t help the excitement that coursed through him. Despite knowing how everything would end, he couldn’t wait until the older Vargas brother turned eighteen.

He grinned at Alfred and took him by the arm to take them back home. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Alfred asked curiously, though he already has a good guess as to what it was. 

“Nothing.” Arthur replied, the grin still on his face. “I’m just excited for the game to begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this, the story is now completely finished! I want to thank all the wonderful people who put up with me throughout this fic. Without you all, I probably would have quit on this story ages ago so thank you! 
> 
> I'm not really sure when I'll start on the sequel, if I ever get to it. Life is really stressful and busy right now, so maybe when things calm down I'll get to it, but no promises. 
> 
> And I'm really sorry for the (very late) epilogue! I actually finished this up last week, but I got a bit distracted with Hetaween and real life that I had completely forgotten about uploading it. 
> 
> Thank you all once again! It was fun while it lasted!


End file.
